On Sep 6, 2008, at 1:04 AM, Richard Erlacher wrote:
>> If it meets the desired goal, it's finished. It's as simple as
>> that. I get the impression that you like to document, justify,
>> exhaustively analyze, and probably have meetings about every single
>> function or subroutine. This is not how software is written in the
>> real world.
>>
> Whose goal would that be? If it's not written down, how do you
> keep it from
> changing along the way, resulting in something you never wanted?
In the case of SDCC? A functional C compiler for small
processors. I suppose if it had somehow morphed into a FORTRAN or a
Befunge compiler while the developers weren't looking, we'd be in
trouble.
>> ...which is probably why software technology has been lagging that
>> of hardware since that time...
>>
> Then why's the lag gotten so much worse since the mid-'80's, when
> folks
> became "enlightened?" Now we have hardware that operates at >1000x
> as fast,
> yet the software is 10% the speed, viewed from the user
> perspective. My old
> Z80 with CP/M ran payroll faster than my modern computer, and that
> was on a
> daisywheel printer, whereas I now concurrently use a laser printer
> and a
> fast matrix for multi-part forms.
Yes, my Z80 machine is pretty fast too, I know exactly what you
mean and I agree. But when you talk about today's stuff being 10% of
that speed...you're running Windows. If you run a real OS you'll
find that things have become unbelievably fast. If you run a real OS
on a modern processor architecture (as opposed to clock-goosed
circa-1976 x86) you'll be amazed.
> Perhaps, but Windows has met its goal, namely making Microsoft and its
> shareholders rich beyond anyone's expectations.
If that is its stated goal, why do you, an engineer, try to use it
to do actual work?
> From the average user's
> point of view, it makes the computer accessible to the masses,
> while *NIX
> never has done that.
Well, the average user typically doesn't realize that their
Windows box is sitting there being remotely controlled to relay
spam.. ;)
> I don't blame people for preferring that and buying
> it.
People buy it not because they prefer it, but because they're too
clueless to realize that there are better ways to compute. I run up
against this every day. Things are improving, but it's slow going.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL
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