Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.c > #12745

Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer

Show all headers | View raw

On 2011-11-04, Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On 11/ 5/11 12:31 PM, BGB wrote:
>> On 11/4/2011 3:46 PM, Ian Collins wrote:
>>> On 11/ 5/11 11:36 AM, BGB wrote:
>>>> On 11/4/2011 11:01 AM, Robert Wessel wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> For the vast majority of users, PC effectively aren't programmable
>>>>> either - almost all software run on 95% of PCs is written by a "few"
>>>>> people who then run off "millions" of units.
>>>>
>>>> but, there are lots more programmers on the PC, like just how many
>>>> people are involved in the creation of typical desktop software (such as
>>>> an OS, web-browser, of office suite).
>>>
>>> So what minute fraction of 1% of those programmers are writing (or even
>>> know how to write) in assembler?
>>>
>>
>> who knows exactly?...
>
> So "lots of people" is a small number.
>
>> but, at least parts of both Linux and FireFox are written in
>> assembler... (although the vast majority of this is C, or a mix of C and
>> C++ in the case of FF).
>
> Very small parts, parts that need to access machine registers.  The only 
> x86 bits assembler I've ever had to write are low level scheduling 
> primitives.
>
>> the Quake3 engine also manually-crafted machine code in a few places
>> (generally building machine code from hex-strings).
>
> Yet another very small niche.
>
>> I guess the question would be to determine just how many people
>> in-general use ASM/native-code this was...
>
> Hardly any.

Writing in assembly language is something that any competent developer
can be called upon to do, but rarely will be.

There is hardly any need for anyone to be an "assembly language programmer".

However, *debugging* at the machine level is far from uncommon.

Tough bugs in optimized C code cannot all be found without resorting to
examining the program state at the instruction, register and memory level.

I haven't had a job in the past 20 years in which I did not have to get up to
the elbows in the machine language to root cause a few bugs.  The fix didn't
involve writing machine language, but the bug hunt required reading machine
language: knowing the instruction set, register usage, calling convention,
structure of the stack and other info, etc.

Back to comp.lang.c | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer "a.owens@novartisoft.com" <a.owens@novartisoft.com> - 2011-10-30 19:47 -0700
  Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer jgharston <jgh@arcade.demon.co.uk> - 2011-10-31 07:05 -0700
    Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-10-31 07:38 -0700
      Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer jgharston <jgh@arcade.demon.co.uk> - 2011-10-31 08:51 -0700
        Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-10-31 16:39 +0000
          Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-10-31 12:58 -0400
            Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Ark <akhasin@macroexpressions.com> - 2011-11-04 04:51 -0400
          Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Acid Washed China Blue Jeans <chine.bleu@yahoo.com> - 2011-10-31 10:28 -0700
          Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Frederick Williams <freddywilliams@btinternet.com> - 2011-10-31 17:55 +0000
            Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-01 06:29 -0700
              Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer jacob navia <jacob@spamsink.net> - 2011-11-01 14:49 +0100
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-11-01 14:23 +0000
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-02 07:41 +1300
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-01 15:43 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer gwowen <gwowen@gmail.com> - 2011-11-04 07:07 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-04 08:30 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer gwowen <gwowen@gmail.com> - 2011-11-04 09:13 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-11-06 21:50 +0000
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2011-11-04 16:37 +0000
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2011-11-04 13:01 -0500
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2011-11-04 11:27 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-04 15:36 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-05 11:46 +1300
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-04 16:31 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-05 12:52 +1300
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-04 17:21 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-05 13:55 +1300
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-04 23:23 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2011-11-05 04:21 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2011-11-06 07:40 +0000
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer "io_x" <a@b.c.invalid> - 2011-11-06 09:35 +0100
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2011-11-06 16:34 +0000
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-06 12:47 -0700
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2011-11-05 00:31 +0000
                Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-11-05 02:29 -0700
          Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer Patrick Scheible <kkt@zipcon.net> - 2011-10-31 13:03 -0700
          Re: Looking for experienced C/C++ / ASM programmer jgk@panix.com (Joe keane) - 2011-11-04 13:12 +0000

csiph-web