the writeup has two parts, the first half is python3 hello world, from reading the source all the way to byte code interpretation, and the second half is how the console output is transformed into pixels, by the low level part of python and then the windows UI, all the way to the renderering of glyphs with anti aliasing in a GUI text console.
I feel hinting at it not being about Linux bears the risk of diverting potential readers from an outstanding text.
The only deep difference to Linux imnsho would be the different graphics architecture, with it's flavours X11 and Wayland, and I'd dare to claim that 90% of the article are not platform dependent.
Re:Hello World Under the Microscope
by photochemsyn on Friday October 14, 2022 @09:42AM
(#33203379)
I hope it doesn't turn anyone off from the article, it's a great writeup. I was actually more impressed about the willingness to fire up the disassembler for the Windows section, although it shouldn't be necessary. (Running it to bare metal would also be cool).
(Two of the authors are security researchers, firing up a disassembler is something they do every day.)
Re:Hello World Under the Microscope
by matheusmoreira on Friday October 14, 2022 @03:01PM
(#33207512)
Yeah. The Windows APIs are distracting but there's plenty of awesome details even in there. I especially like the part about font rendering.
> "In order to better understand how fontdrvhost.exe works internally, we would need to focus our analysis on that executable. Unfortunately, unlike consoles, the source code of this component has not been made publicly available, so we need to roll up our sleeves and run the disassembler. There is a small consolation in the form of debug symbols (.pdb files) made available by Microsoft for system libraries [12], thanks to which we can at least know the names of individual functions."