segaloco
Experienced Member
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2023
- Messages
- 174
In all the chaos of the world around us, it is often times hard to pinpoint the crucial issues requiring our most immediate attention. A painful epidemic is gripping the world and by its very nature passively defeating opposition.
I'm talking about long nops.
Now, this may sound like something better left discussed with your doctor or local clergy, but long nops are serious. Self absorbed programmer types have long been concerned with the degree to which they can molest a rectangle of minerals into doing unholy things, and in their endless deathmarch unearthed an eldrich magic so horrible it cannot even be properly spoken.
Long nops.
A CPU is just a blunt instrument. A tool if you will. Into that tool are etched the various incantations to perform a number of feats. Some use them to add, others to subtract. The intrepid among us use them to multiply. However, they offer up among their services those with more subtle effects, perhaps effects they are not immediately forthcoming with, that you must further coax into meaning.
One of these accursed runes is pronounced in our primitive tongue, "bit".
Bit has a purpose, sure, to those of the 6502 cult among others, it gives them some insight into the machinations of the present moment. However, it is sly in its providence. It leaves the result in the hidden places of the earth, buried away from the prying eyes of the mortals that dare ask its help. Instead, they must find themselves at the farthest branches of the tallest trees, hoping their branch survives the secrets hidden within.
Over time, the programmer learned that yes, bit does dredge up these secrets and leave them in a nice little box. But what of the exercise for its own sake. I care not what is in the box. The bit is secretive? Let it be, I will waste its time.
It was not long before the programmer began serving the bit false information, sometimes information intended for someone else, with the knowledge that bit would oblige, it would fetch data never sought for eyes never brought, it would toil on in its belief that the inner powers of the universe were needed once again. It didn't know, couldn't know, and can't be blamed, but has become a scourge nonetheless.
Long nops.
The programmer wanted more and more, more expression, more variation, but also wanted less and less effort involved in expressing these incantations.
Long nops.
The long nops gained their true power when the programmer found, in their billowy bitness, the ruffles in which to nestle their schemes and designs. Let us tell the bit, give me this "address" my friend, I need its wisdom. The fool. The address is a second choice I wish to take later, the bit simply removes it from my sight when I need it not. My load remains light and the toils bother it not.
Long nops.
The long nop comes at a price. Walking the corridors of knowledge, the more bit has been asked to carry...the slower it seems to walk. Once upon a time, in the happier days, the programmer accepted this as the price for the secrets it gave. Nevermore was the case. This time added up and the spells grew long. Day turned to night turned to weeks turned to months. A generation rolled over, yawned, and wondered where all the time had gone.
Long nops.
They're out there. Your doctor can't help. It's too late for most of us. My advice for those wishing to avoid long nops: overflow is only in your mind. Bits outside of the significant extremities of a word might as well be gone man. If you put a bit in your code know that it can and most likely will be abused by some sorcerer in a not too distant future. Keep an extensive hash table for looking up the overflow state of all possible arithemtic expressions on your given ISA instead. This will keep you safe from the potential of all that wasted time. Hey bvs, get lost!
Long nops.
I'm talking about long nops.
Now, this may sound like something better left discussed with your doctor or local clergy, but long nops are serious. Self absorbed programmer types have long been concerned with the degree to which they can molest a rectangle of minerals into doing unholy things, and in their endless deathmarch unearthed an eldrich magic so horrible it cannot even be properly spoken.
Long nops.
A CPU is just a blunt instrument. A tool if you will. Into that tool are etched the various incantations to perform a number of feats. Some use them to add, others to subtract. The intrepid among us use them to multiply. However, they offer up among their services those with more subtle effects, perhaps effects they are not immediately forthcoming with, that you must further coax into meaning.
One of these accursed runes is pronounced in our primitive tongue, "bit".
Bit has a purpose, sure, to those of the 6502 cult among others, it gives them some insight into the machinations of the present moment. However, it is sly in its providence. It leaves the result in the hidden places of the earth, buried away from the prying eyes of the mortals that dare ask its help. Instead, they must find themselves at the farthest branches of the tallest trees, hoping their branch survives the secrets hidden within.
Over time, the programmer learned that yes, bit does dredge up these secrets and leave them in a nice little box. But what of the exercise for its own sake. I care not what is in the box. The bit is secretive? Let it be, I will waste its time.
It was not long before the programmer began serving the bit false information, sometimes information intended for someone else, with the knowledge that bit would oblige, it would fetch data never sought for eyes never brought, it would toil on in its belief that the inner powers of the universe were needed once again. It didn't know, couldn't know, and can't be blamed, but has become a scourge nonetheless.
Long nops.
The programmer wanted more and more, more expression, more variation, but also wanted less and less effort involved in expressing these incantations.
Long nops.
The long nops gained their true power when the programmer found, in their billowy bitness, the ruffles in which to nestle their schemes and designs. Let us tell the bit, give me this "address" my friend, I need its wisdom. The fool. The address is a second choice I wish to take later, the bit simply removes it from my sight when I need it not. My load remains light and the toils bother it not.
Long nops.
The long nop comes at a price. Walking the corridors of knowledge, the more bit has been asked to carry...the slower it seems to walk. Once upon a time, in the happier days, the programmer accepted this as the price for the secrets it gave. Nevermore was the case. This time added up and the spells grew long. Day turned to night turned to weeks turned to months. A generation rolled over, yawned, and wondered where all the time had gone.
Long nops.
They're out there. Your doctor can't help. It's too late for most of us. My advice for those wishing to avoid long nops: overflow is only in your mind. Bits outside of the significant extremities of a word might as well be gone man. If you put a bit in your code know that it can and most likely will be abused by some sorcerer in a not too distant future. Keep an extensive hash table for looking up the overflow state of all possible arithemtic expressions on your given ISA instead. This will keep you safe from the potential of all that wasted time. Hey bvs, get lost!
Long nops.