Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: Linux-asm (was A patch for linux 2.1.127) | Date | Thu, 19 Nov 1998 14:07:45 -0300 | From | Horst von Brand <> |
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"Richard B. Johnson" <root@chaos.analogic.com> said:
[...]
> Using Linus' name is a usual trick. He did not make the kernel > in 'C'. It was made using various tools including assembler and > GNU extensions that are implemented within the GNU Compiler. > Check the ../linux/arch/.. directories and the ../linux/include/asm > directories before you leap to such a conclusion.
And the proportion of asm() in there is? What is the proportion of this stuff (tightly bound to each architecture!) in the kernel you build?
> Further, much of the new 'C' libraries are written in assembly. > Basically, the hard stuff is written in assembly so you can make > portable code that runs reasonably well.
Again, I've taken a look at glibc-2.1 snapshots. It's just not "much", there are some extremely speed-critical routines (string and memory handling, some math functions) that are written as horrendous macros that (depending on the exact arguments) call one of a bunch of inline functions that are in turn mostly asm() statements. Not nice to behold at all, but needed for performance. The rest is just plain old C. -- Dr. Horst H. von Brand mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431 Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239 Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513
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