Re: [9fans] speaking of kenc

[Tim Wiess <tim@nop.cx>]

fascinating.
could you please continue this thread off the list now?
thanks.


> Roman Shaposhnik wrote:
>> On Sun, 2007-05-06 at 07:12 +0200, lucio@proxima.alt.za wrote:
>>>> assembler is there because it is needed. if you are writing or porting
>>>> a compiler and you dont have an assembler you will end up writing one
>>>> anyway.
>>> Assembler is there because the designers _make_ it necessary. 
>>  
>>   I think I would agree with this point 100%. 
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Roman.
>> 
>> 
> 
> Designers work in binary gate-array state tables.
> 
> Not much choice until CPU go over to optical, and can *maybe* use UTF-8 directly 
> as I/O in color frequency coding as well as simple on/off states.
> 
> Even then only at a hefty price.
> 
> Until then, asm's mnemonics are easier for humans to work with than octal, hex, 
> or binary, and there isn't much to be done about that IF/AS/WHEN you absolutely, 
> positively, *have to* get down to the lowest possible layer and find a 
> binary-only animal at that layer.
> 
> Fortunately, that 'have to' is 'damn seldom' thanks to a wide variety of 
> toolsets, and those who do it often are no more fussed about doing it than 
> having a different brand of beer now and then.
> 
> Build a CPU that 'needs no assembler' and the first thing that happens is some 
> contrarian will write one for it *anyway*. And/OR port forth to it.
> 
> And they will be used. But never 'forced'.
> 
> That because the second contrarian who arrives will port a 'C' compiler to it.
> 
> Any of these can be labelled ugly or inelegant - but they are the tools that get 
> the job done faster than most other choices.
> 
> And time - wall clock, CPU, or hours of our lives - is not just money.
> 
> Time is the scarcest, and least 'renewable' resource any of us will ever have.
> 
> So we must adapt to what we have while we invent better machines.
> 
> When machines start to adapt to US, we should become very, very wary, 'coz they 
> will have become smarter than we are, and they will also have become either 
> certifiably insane to make the attempt or clever liars to fake it.
> 
> Can't trust either of those to keep a beer keg cold...
> 
> Choices, folks.  Choices!
> 
> Bill