Re: C code .vs. Assembly code for Microcontrollers/DSPs ?

dstarr@pop-3.std.com says...
> For ordinary micro controllers (6805, z80, 8051 etc) a good C
>compiler will do code tight enough for production work. It will do
>better code than 9 out of 10 programmers can do, and the gains in
>speed of development and ease of maintainance make compiler use a
>sound decision. I would certainly question the competance of an
>organization that started a serious product using assembler on a
>ordinary micro now aday's.


I don't agree that compilers can do "better code" than 9/10
programmers if "better code" = "faster code". Consider an interrupt
function. The C compiler is going to push all the registers on the
stack, whereas a careful programmer can be very tricky about stack
pushes and pops in order to minimize them.


However, in general, I do agree with your statement, since I believe
that most of the time the increase in execution speed and/or decrease
in code size is either irrelevent to the task at hand or
insignificant.
--
% Randy Yates
% EE/Mathematics Student
% University of South Florida
% <yatesc@csee.usf.edu>
[On small kernels, a skilled assembler programmer can certainly do better.
On large programs, I'm not so sure. Compilers don't get bored as easily
as we do, so they avoid making dumb mistakes. -John]


--

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