Backward compatibility is a two edged sword. I am willing to switch to Sparc anyday if it wasnt expensive.
Ian C. Sison wrote: >On Sun, 21 Oct 2001, Pablo Manalastas wrote: > >>On Sun, 21 Oct 2001, Jerome Tan wrote: >> >>>>On the contrary, assembly languages are the most short-lived of >>>>the programming languages. They DIE as soon as the manufacturer >>>>stops producing the associated processor. >>>> >>>No... they don't die. The reference of the instructions and the bits/codes, >>>etc. change... >>> >>I do not know why English is such a beautiful language that so many >>shades of meaning can be associated with the concept of DEATH of an >>assembly language. Specific assembly languages for specific >>processors have died. Period. They are dead because the processor >>is not in use anymore. No one programs in that assembly language because >>the processor is not there anymore to program for. Naanhin pa ang damo >>kung patay na ang kabayo? >> >>>No... they don't die. The reference of the instructions and the bits/codes, >>>etc. change... >>> >>When the instruction set changes, then you have a different processor. >>When the manufacturer freezes the processor into silicon, the instruction >>set is fixed. Any change in the instruction set is usually an improvement >>such as when i386 processor was upgraded to i486 and then to the Pentium. >>Or the change could be a completely new processor. >> >>I think what you are trying to say (and please correct me if I'm >>wrong), is that the practice of assembly language programming in general >>(using some assembly language like i386 assembly) will probably never >>die. Time critical portions of some applications need to be written >>in assembly language. >> >>However, that does not change the historical fact that many assembly >>languages have died. >> > > >So true! I miss my Z-80, it had a rich instruction set. > >However, there are those instructionsets that don't die, no matter what >you do. The 1.7 GHz Pentium IV can still execute the 8088 instructions >of MS-DOS, and can still run assembly language Wordstar-4 ! ! ! > >Chalk it up to Intel for keeping such compatibility from the late 70's! ! ! > > >_ >Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph >To leave: send "unsubscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To subscribe to the Linux Newbies' List: send "subscribe" in the body to >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _ Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph To leave: send "unsubscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to the Linux Newbies' List: send "subscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
