[COFF] machine code translation, as mental architecture models

[Ralph Corderoy]

Hi,

John and Paul wrote:
> > > > The VAX MACRO compiler takes in VAX assembly source code, not
> > > > binary VAX instructions.
> > >
> > > Does anyone know how extensively they used the macro facilities?
> > > You can write much higher level stuff as macros than as single
> > > instructions, which makes it a lot easier to do efficient
> > > translation.
> >
> > Macros were used very extensively in VAX MACRO, both for user
> > programming and in the operating system.  All of the low-level
> > system calls for user programs were implemented and documented as
> > macros.  The OS assembly code made heavy use of macros as well.
>
> Oh, no wonder the translator worked so well.

Well, doesn't it depend on whether VAX MACRO kept the macros as
high-level entities when translating them, or if it processed macros in
the familiar way into instructions that sat at the same level as
hand-written ‘assembler’.  I don't think this thread has made that clear
so far.

-- 
Cheers, Ralph.