From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED, DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED,FREEMAIL_FROM,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 13432 invoked from network); 19 Jun 2021 21:51:21 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 19 Jun 2021 21:51:21 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 846BD950A4; Sun, 20 Jun 2021 07:51:09 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 92C2B93DC0; Sun, 20 Jun 2021 07:50:49 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="Unpnm1CY"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id D08B293DD3; Sun, 20 Jun 2021 07:50:24 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-pg1-f178.google.com (mail-pg1-f178.google.com [209.85.215.178]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 36A45949A4 for ; Sun, 20 Jun 2021 07:50:24 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-pg1-f178.google.com with SMTP id v7so10867382pgl.2 for ; Sat, 19 Jun 2021 14:50:24 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20161025; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=H279j4bxT7ZNaczWrWPfzIebfoc+bELBAimdum5iZco=; b=Unpnm1CYsiwYc3gH0Sq3VuQEee0pOJMYgWWL+zZdRs2EZjKItRUr+YyaNZKnPaZJjK wXt446yIzN2ORe7enLEJB20nvy0KUSwyW129hijZOOh1PPGaVkrIZru+G7JoiqEfF3pY vcUZatibWSXxwCXdLydPFpCUPKNqtloD73sY4gNXF111uIvMUSvQ+h3MytVLX5qymSKo sxZj7YHyqmBzjifjs5aBoWoQF5B02E5A9diQzqFXtqbfXBF0qAPVBHUl3cAjSdzojp/5 lZ+Xz0HMFmn5J9uAY6g6I8FcohkOtt/tP0ND6TuofWhHnH6hGKmovn0Rss/oDSLZ2xQp pxAA== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=H279j4bxT7ZNaczWrWPfzIebfoc+bELBAimdum5iZco=; b=kwiznOVIvutDRGZ3mZ3GwRxcFgPR/idvG7D1vbuMKS+kEsrsu2uogkuvAVG//bNbf5 UMM55VBMFuhbUv3PWPczwJSeOZitULYAS98U5A3A68P9uG69x88pT2ejf+PIchzdiXoX LDeh17zHUVPaXnApGtTsM95Ew4+VD97fmfzvU1U9opMbUSeuwVN9/8MGJFwLwt5sI046 4I8Eed1Du/ncQMOEULRb67Fbxu8BamYOqAXylMXYfF7BqARHEKVaw0B6XZ01YKBQw3Wc F90o/YCVPcQdK451uEcHHA3+H8efS9s5QP90cjtrQ10oO4GuFhudSfnoLlV/lr4qgKm0 Un/A== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM532dkZwxIYEIEqGxYtwXxEQ7YuCWSs/hJh3MIvI8DceInMXWKX2D nXq/NQgJ5to6EpFuCun9CTO63wVxvMjG6Z5kF78= X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJwcGisO4p1ZGxqu9kJLQQKtZ9vyuPzC7BzL5WfMf9JJQXsZRgeKr07r/p0JdJq7YtYKwG63Z9bq6Ey22uNjfQM= X-Received: by 2002:aa7:9ab3:0:b029:2f7:e053:f727 with SMTP id x19-20020aa79ab30000b02902f7e053f727mr11949233pfi.74.1624139423618; Sat, 19 Jun 2021 14:50:23 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Rob Pike Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2021 07:50:12 +1000 Message-ID: To: Richard Salz Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000691a4c05c5256dc4" Subject: Re: [TUHS] Disassemblers X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: The Eunuchs Hysterical Society Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --000000000000691a4c05c5256dc4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Although upon reflection, I think what I did was fix 'adb' and call it 'db'. Haven't had my coffee yet this morning. -rob On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 7:49 AM Rob Pike wrote: > For v8 or thereabouts, I spent some time fixing some fundamental bugs in > db and found that it was arcane but remarkably powerful. Since it was lower > level, it avoided the endemic debugging problem of misleading you about > your program: All it could do was tell you what the machine was doing. > (Cdb, sdb, and adb were, at least in my experience, always lying to you.) I > may be the only person who appreciated db fully. Once the bugs were gone > you really could use it to good effect, as long as you understood the CPU. > > But it was buggy and arcane, no question about that. > > -rob > > > > > On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 6:46 AM Richard Salz wrote: > >> I remember compiling and playing Langston's "empire" that I was told came >> from a decompiled executable. This was in the 4.2 days. >> > --000000000000691a4c05c5256dc4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Although upon reflection, I think what I did was fix '= adb' and call it 'db'. Haven't had my coffee yet this morni= ng.

-rob


On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 7:4= 9 AM Rob Pike <robpike@gmail.com> wrote:
For v8 or thereabouts, I spent some time fixing some fundamen= tal bugs in db and found that it was arcane but remarkably powerful. Since = it was lower level, it avoided the endemic debugging problem of misleading = you about your program: All it could do was tell you what the machine was d= oing. (Cdb, sdb, and adb were, at least in my experience, always lying to y= ou.) I may be the only person who appreciated db fully. Once the bugs were = gone you really could use it to good effect, as long as you understood the = CPU.

But it was buggy and arcane, no question about that= .

-rob




On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 6:46 AM Richard Salz <rich.salz@gmail.com> wrote:
I= remember compiling and playing Langston's "empire" that I wa= s told came from a decompiled executable. This was in the 4.2 days.
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