Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 10:24:33 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <199809291424.KAA14523@indy.delorie.com> From: DJ Delorie To: johnfine AT erols DOT com CC: djgpp AT delorie DOT com In-reply-to: <3610EAF9.A58@erols.com> (johnfine@erols.com) Subject: Re: Optimizations Precedence: bulk > The "junky old 486 with no L2 cache" is the hand held computer that > my employer manufatures. I've got a "junky old 486" in my laptop - 25Mhz. Runs just fine, and I'm running an X server on it! Heck, I recall my old 5 Mhz Z100 (8088) and it ran fast too, as the software was designed for that platform and wasn't bloated. The fact that people think that a Pentium II 400MHz processor is *needed* for any software today is an insult to all the programmers out there for writing their software that way. Sure, there are some tasks that take advantage of the faster CPU (3D video games, rendering, simulations, etc) but 95% of your need for a faster CPU is to support *bloat*. Maybe it's good that the cost of getting into the software development business is a lot lower now, and DJGPP is certainly doing its part to draw people to programming, but *good* software design is still an art that eludes most programmers. Rather than flame someone for their choice of platforms, why not try to help that person achieve their goals instead?