Hardware (What Interests me....) was : (PDP-8/s on e-bay)

[David V. Corbin]

>>> > >>> HITS NAIL ON HEAD
>>> >
>>> >1) I know many hardware hackers who don't know a compiler from a 
>>> >debugger [Thinking of some of my Ham buddies]....
>>> 
>>> Debugger?  Isn't that what   printf("at step 
>>> 2\r\n");    and    while(!kbhit());  are for?
>>> 

Not at all! <groan> Regardless of what type of system you are working on a
real debugger is just as necessary as a 'scope for working on hardware.
MINIMAL functionallity should include: breakpoints and the ability at
monitor/alter memory while the program is executing (albiet typically
paused).

For embedded systems I prefer an ICE, altought I do work with many systems
where I use a "monitor" approach. For desktop appliction level programs, I
usually use a commercial debugger. For OS or driver (Ring-0) code, I have
debug versions of the kernal for most of my development environments.


>>> >2) I tend to hit finger with hammer and from nail.
>>> 
>>> You type good, must not be using hammer much, eh?
>>> 

Re-read the above (it was supposed to read "and drop nail"!)...I was not
typing so good. Seriously I learned to type on a Royal manual typewriter at
a fairly young age. I did not have the strength to "touch type" the outter
keys [QAZP], so I sort of adapted. Then I worked on ASR-33's which did not
lend themselves to touch typing either. These days I type a nearly the rate
of a "typist" but with a distinctly unique style of using <grin>