🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <491@rna.UUCP>, dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) writes:
> > 	Some years ago when I was learning 6800 assembler (anybody remember
> > D2 kits?) I used to first write everything in C and then hand compile it
> > into M6800 asm.

I used exactly the same technique writing video game cartridges for
the "old" Atari --- write a module in a kind of psuedo-C, then hand
compile it into 6502 assembly.  The trick was that each function had
three local variables called A, X and Y; it really WAS high level
assembly language.  My roommate called me "the world's best optimizing
C compiler for the 6502."  It worked well.

You can laugh, but I made the company millions of dollars this way.
(It's not MY fault the old Atari blew it --- the engineers were making
money but the marketing types out-numbered us three to one!  Grrr.)

----------------

Here's a perverse thought: Has anyone done any research on
architechures to help people writing /assembly language/?  (Maybe the
PDP-11, VAX or IBM-370 architechures are optimal, or maybe no one has
ever considered making life easier for those who spend their lives
coding "down unda.")
-- 

Landon Dyer					"If Business is War, then 
Atari Corp.					  I'm a Prisoner of Business!"
... {hoptoad,lll-crg!vecpyr}!atari!dyer		"Quantity is Quality!"