One of the things which I missed in OS/2, was the convenience of
being able to write very short assembly language programs,
including self-modifying programs, without a lot of overhead.

So, some time ago, I wrote a text program launcher that let's one
do that in protected-mode, flat 32-bit address form, in OS/2.
E.g., "Hello, world" is less than 70 bytes long.

If I may ask... might that be of any interest to anyone here?

---
■ testing... ■
* Origin: FONiX Info Systems * Berkshire UK * +44 1344 641625 (2:252/171)

Moin Fred!

12.01.2001, Fred Kantor wrote a message to David Noon:

One of the things which I missed in OS/2, was the convenience of
being able to write very short assembly language programs,
including self-modifying programs, without a lot of overhead.

I don't miss self-modifying programs, in fact I never wrote one. When I learned programming (~1986) this was already considered harmfull. My shortest OS/2 program so far has 1564 bytes, this is small enough for me.

So, some time ago, I wrote a text program launcher that let's one do
that in protected-mode, flat 32-bit address form, in OS/2. E.g.,
"Hello, world" is less than 70 bytes long.

If I may ask... might that be of any interest to anyone here?

You wrote a linker and a loader? Which differentiates between code and data sections?
I'm maintaining a OS for microcontroller based handhelds and such devices. If I get a look I could learn something. So if you release source code I'm very interested to get it.

Bye,
Vitus

---
* Origin: A mind is a terrible thing to ugg.. I forgot.. (2:2474/424.1)

Hi Fred,

Replying to a message of Fred Kantor to David Noon:

One of the things which I missed in OS/2, was the convenience of
being able to write very short assembly language programs,
including self-modifying programs, without a lot of overhead.

[moderating]
To the "purists" reading this: please don't post diatribes against self-modifying code. Some of us are old enough to have been taught this practice at university, and some even feel it can still have a place in programming.
[end moderator mode]

So, some time ago, I wrote a text program launcher that let's one do
that in protected-mode, flat 32-bit address form, in OS/2. E.g.,
"Hello, world" is less than 70 bytes long.

Well, most of the assembler hackers in this echo can do that in reentrant code.
... :-)

A more persuasive argument would be to demonstrate a more comprehensive program
using greatly reduced resources compared to the reentrant coding practices that
are implicit on the Intel platform in protected mode.

If I may ask... might that be of any interest to anyone here?

I recall downloading it from your Web site a few years ago [the archive's timestamp says I d/l'ed it on 27th April 1997 at 18:07.], but I never got around to playing with it.

Since all users of the OS/2 Warp Developer's Toolkit 4.0 have the ALP assembler, they have at least the capability to use your software.

Regards

Dave
<Team PL/I>

--- FleetStreet 1.25.1
* Origin: My other computer is an IBM S/390 (2:257/609.5)

Hello David!

Replying to a message of David Noon to Fred Kantor:

[moderating]
To the "purists" reading this: please don't post diatribes against self-modifying code. Some of us are old enough to have been taught
this practice at university, and some even feel it can still have a
place in programming. [end moderator mode]

Fair enough - being from the camp that never learned how to do it, I also never
learned *why*. Care to enlighten me?

Darin

---
* Origin: Tanktalus' Tower BBS (1:250/102)

Hello Mike,

Tuesday 16 January 2001 08:05, Mike Luther wrote to Will Honea:

The flight instructor's handbook again, the difference between
knowledge and understanding. If you don't know enough you'd better
not go there solo?

You'd better understand it either. I wouldn't want to fly in a plane who's pilot knows all the knobs and instruments of the plane, but has no understanding of them! :)

understanding = knowdledge + knowledge + more

understanding is the combining of separate knowledge you know, but put together
gives new insights and new levels of understanding, with that one can do new things or can do things in new ways.

understanding is on a higher level of intelligence than learning, learning is a
higher level of intelligence than knowing.

Now, OS/2 is written by people who not only know a lot of computer systems but also understands them. The monkeys in Redmond don't come even close to understanding. :(


Greetings -=Eddy=-

email: e.thilleman@freeler.nl
e.thilleman@hccnet.nl

... PCMCIA = People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
--- GoldED/2 3.0.1
* Origin: C:\DOS\RUN C:\WINDOWS\CRAWL C:\OS2\FLY ! (2:280/5143.7)

Eddy .

understanding is on a higher level of intelligence
than learning, learning is a higher level of
intelligence than knowing.

I still happen to favor the Flight Instructor's definitions.. Not an exact quote, I could get it from the handbook, but close enough:

'Understanding is being able to take what you know
and apply it to a brand new situation and come up
with a right answer.'

If I teach you how to land an airplane with no wind, you may do wonderful at that! I can send you solo and, with no wind, you'll come back alive and well.
But if the wind comes up while you are up there alone, unless you understand how to land the airplane, it's not very pleasant what happens next, my friend!

The difference between OS/2 and some other operating systems is that it is,as far as I can tell, easier to get and understanding of it. I think that is because it is relatively mature and stable. Yes, it does change over time, and
big time change as well.

However, to my way of thinking, most all of the things you have learned and paid for dearly to learn about OS/2, are still valuable enough for what comes next; you'll fail less taking on brand new situations in OS/2, I think, than in
some other systems! Yes, bugs will be bugs, but it's my impression that what you know about OS/2, is easier to extrapolate into the new things that happen in it, than it may be in some other operating systems.

There, that's the best I can say it and exactly on how the flight world relates
to the friendly skyline for level flight in OS/2 as well!


Mike @ 117/3001





--- Maximus/2 3.01
* Origin: Ziplog Public Port (1:117/3001)