[net.lang] Self-modifying code and CDC Fort

holmes@dalcs.UUCP (Ray Holmes) (01/14/84)

[]
	I used to show people (CDC hackers) a short routine (about
eight lines) and ask what was in the registers after it stopped. No
one ever got the right answer as it consisted of a self modifying
loop that depended on this "bug" to actually loop almost twice as
many times as the code sugested.  This caused several interactive
debugging programs to get the same (incorrect) answers as people did.

					R

saj@iuvax.UUCP (02/15/84)

#R:azure:-248800:iuvax:11800010:000:472
iuvax!apratt    Jan 12 20:59:00 1984

You better believe there were some COMPASS hacks (CDC assembly code) who took
advantage of the "bug" you mention -- once a word is in cache, you can modify
it.  It would be just like one fellow I know to do that. His loops always
(well, almost always) fit in 15 words (I think that was the number), and he
never wasted the 15 bits which a jump instruction at the beginning of a word
wastes. Talk about slick, tight code!			-- Allan Pratt
					...ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!apratt