Why Learn Assembly Language
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| | | Why Learning Assembly Language Is Still a Good Ideaby Randall Hyde, author of Write Great Code (No Starch)
05/06/2004 |
The world is full of case studies outlining software engineering disasters. Almost every programmer has had to work on a project involving "less than stellar" source code that was difficult to read and maintain. On rare occasion, some programmers get the opportunity to work on a well-designed system, an awe-inspiring piece of craftsmanship that usually produces the exclamation, "This is truly great code!" Clearly, professional software engineers should strive to achieve this level of greatness in all their code. But the real question is, "What makes code great?" Simply "meeting specifications" is not how one writes great code. True, in today's software environment, some might actually believe that simply meeting the specifications sets an application apart, as many development projects fail to meet their basic design goals. However, in other areas greatness is rarely defined by doing the expected and succeeding; greatness is defined by going above and beyond what is expected. Software engineers should expect no less from great software--it should go above and beyond the standard conventions for software development. Efficiency Is the KeyBecause greatness is a multifaceted attribute, a short article such as this one cannot begin to describe all the possible components of a great piece of software. Instead, this article will describe one component of writing great code that has been neglected in recent years as computer systems have increased in capacity and power: efficiency.Anyone who has been around the computer industry for a decade or more is well aware of this phenomenon: machines are getting exponentially more powerful per unit cost, yet users do not perceive this improvement in the applications that they purchase. For example, while word processors are clearly faster today than they were 21 years ago, they aren't 16,384
| | | Why Learning Assembly Language Is Still a Good Ideaby Randall Hyde, author of Write Great Code (No Starch)
05/06/2004 |
The world is full of case studies outlining software engineering disasters. Almost every programmer has had to work on a project involving "less than stellar" source code that was difficult to read and maintain. On rare occasion, some programmers get the opportunity to work on a well-designed system, an awe-inspiring piece of craftsmanship that usually produces the exclamation, "This is truly great code!" Clearly, professional software engineers should strive to achieve this level of greatness in all their code. But the real question is, "What makes code great?" Simply "meeting specifications" is not how one writes great code. True, in today's software environment, some might actually believe that simply meeting the specifications sets an application apart, as many development projects fail to meet their basic design goals. However, in other areas greatness is rarely defined by doing the expected and succeeding; greatness is defined by going above and beyond what is expected. Software engineers should expect no less from great software--it should go above and beyond the standard conventions for software development. Efficiency Is the KeyBecause greatness is a multifaceted attribute, a short article such as this one cannot begin to describe all the possible components of a great piece of software. Instead, this article will describe one component of writing great code that has been neglected in recent years as computer systems have increased in capacity and power: efficiency.Anyone who has been around the computer industry for a decade or more is well aware of this phenomenon: machines are getting exponentially more powerful per unit cost, yet users do not perceive this improvement in the applications that they purchase. For example, while word processors are clearly faster today than they were 21 years ago, they aren't 16,384