I will put in my U.S. $0.02. There is one place where doing something in C is definitely easier than HLASM, IMO. That is in writing UNIX command processors. Why? The parameter list coming into C is much easier to code and understand. Basically the C prototype is: int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *env[]); The parameter list coming into HLASM is a bit more complicated. Upon entry from the UNIX exec() function (e.g. from the shell), GPR1 points to a list of 6 addresses: address 1 is a pointer to an int (argc); address 2 is a pointer to an array of ints which are the lengths of the strings pointed to by list of string addresses pointed by address 3; address 3 is a pointer to a list of pointers to the UNIX "operands" (the char *argv[]); address; address 4 points to an int which is the number of addresses of environment variables pointed by addresses 5&6; address 5 is a pointer to a list of ints for the length of the corresponding environment variable; address 6 is a pointer to a list of addresses which point to the environment variable strings.
Example code (not guaranteed to be "the best" or even "good") can be seen at: https://github.com/JohnArchieMckown/utilities-1/blob/master/SKELETON.s A pseudo-C struct of the above would look something like: struct { *int argc; /* pointer to argc - number of arguments */ *int argvl[]; /* pointer to array of lengths of argument strings */ *char argv[]; /* pointer to array of argument strings */ *int envl[]; /* pointer to array of lengths of environment strings */ *char env[]; /* pointer to array of environment strings */ } -- I have a theory that it's impossible to prove anything, but I can't prove it. Maranatha! <>< John McKown
