[net.lang] Assembler vs C

vacca@burdvax.UUCP (04/18/84)

     I am trying to determine the percentage of users (in the following
three environments) who actually use assembler to some degree:

       1. UNIX systems programmers
       2. UNIX applications programmers
       3. students and faculty in a university UNIX environment

The question is whether or not C is a viable alternative to using assembler.
It seems that the SysV manuals are trying to dissuade UNIX programmers from
using assembler.  Is this true?

rej@cornell.UUCP (04/19/84)

C can replace assembler.  The only use for assembler on VAXen is to
write the context switching routines and to improve the speed of a
few commonly used subroutines.  People that I know programming in C
on a 68000 never seem to use assembler.  The Cornell Program Synthesiser
is written in C and runs on many PDP-11s across campus.  Its device
drivers and overlay routines are written in C, with only the process
switching routines being in assembler.

Ralph Johnson  cornell!rej

laman@sdcsvax.UUCP (04/21/84)

Also used in the C library for the system interface routines, but that's
not the kernel...

			Nooooo....  Not ANOTHER set of interface routines.....

			Mike Laman
			UUCP: {ucbvax,philabs,sdccsu3,sdcsla}!sdcsvax!laman