Java > Scala

[Walter Bright]

On 12/20/2011 8:29 AM, J Arrizza wrote:
> My point is being comfortable with assembler is likely an effect not a cause. If
> you have the motivation and skills to pick up assembler in a semester then you
> are probably going to be a better programmer in the end simply because of your
> motivation and skills, not necessarily from knowing assembler.

I don't agree, as I had been programming for two years before I learned 
assembler. My high level code made dramatic improvements after that.


> In the end, this progression has been extremely beneficial in visualizing how
> all that abstract source code translates down into machine code. Memory
> allocation, speed and size optimization, etc. etc. make a lot more sense when
> you know how the machine behaves at a fundamental level.

Yes, exactly. Also, knowing assembler can get you out of many jams that 
otherwise would stymie you - such as running into a code gen bug.

Code gen bugs are not a thing of the past. I just ran into one with lcc on the mac.