randy@pyramid.com (Randy Clark) (12/15/87)
>Where can I get information on Pyramid assembler and the architecture >of the 90x ?? Some of this information is probably proprietary. This information is described in two manuals: _Pyramid Assembler Reference Manual_ publication number 4300-0051-B _Pyramid Technology Systems Architecture Manual_ publication number 4300-0073-C (For which, as it happens, I've been responsible. :-) ) The information _is_ proprietary, and normally distributed only to customers with a source license. Depending on how you want to use them, the books *may* be available if you sign a standard non-disclosure agreement. I suggest you call your nearest Pyramid Tech sales office or field support office. Good luck, Randy -- Randy Clark {allegra,cmcl2,decwrl,hplabs,ut-sally,utzoo}!pyramid!randy Guilt without sex. Opinions are not even my own.
pete@BRILLIG.UMD.EDU (Pete Cottrell) (12/19/87)
From: pyrnj!pyramid!randy@rutgers.edu (Randy Clark) Sender: info-pyramid-request@mimsy.umd.edu >Where can I get information on Pyramid assembler and the architecture >of the 90x ?? Some of this information is probably proprietary. The information _is_ proprietary, and normally distributed only to customers with a source license. Depending on how you want to use them, the books *may* be available if you sign a standard non-disclosure agreement. I've never understood this. Whatever happened to the basic right to write assembler code or to look at what a compiler is generating and understand it? Sort of comes in handy when you are debugging something with adb. Why should you need source for this? Or a non-disclosure agreement? If you're buying a machine, then you deserve to know what its instruction set does (or *is*). I just can't see this. Just my opinion, but jeez.....
mb@ttidca.TTI.COM (Michael Bloom) (12/20/87)
pete@BRILLIG.UMD.EDU (Pete Cottrell) writes: >> The information _is_ proprietary, and normally distributed only to >> customers with a source license. > I've never understood this. Whatever happened to the basic right to write > assembler code or to look at what a compiler is generating and understand it? Even Pyramid's source customers don't get much in this area. We don't get source to any of the members of the compilation suite. To be fair, they did send us a tape of the source to the preprocessor, cpp, on a special need basis, but only because it contained no hints as to the nature of their compilation techniques. We'll probably have to fight for this again when buying the source to their next release. For such reasons, much of our local software remains unported. The main reason I do all my work on other machines is that the Pyramid is the only BSD machine we have that GDB (the GNU debugger) does not run on. Faster execution just does not make up for having to use inferior tools (such as dbx or sdb, in this case). Michael Bloom, Citicorp/TTI -------------- Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are entirely my own. They are not to be construed as representing those of my employer.