Re:Should programmers learn machine code?
by stcredzero on Saturday September 05, 2009 @10:27PM
(#807383)
Also, understanding of machine language is key to understanding the underpinnings of operating systems and implementation of programming languages.
If you're missing those three, then you've got an important hole in your knowledge as a programmer: Machine language, Operating Systems, Implementation of Programming Languages.
Much of why computers and their software is put together in this was all clicks into place if you have an integrated view of those three.
As for the why of it:
No other programming language will give you the feeling that it is you that controls the computer as good as assembly ever will, other than the lucky few that get to program microcode.
Assembler is what it all eventually boils down to, it gives you a first hand view at the von Neumann bottleneck and how small the letterbox is through which the CPU views the memory.
After you get a good long hard look at that your programs will never be the same.