• Sign Up
  • Archive

6502 Superoptimizer

Imagesource: Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Programming in Assembly for any processor architecture in 2023 means that you're either totally nuts, have too much free time on your hands, or are working on something that requires squeezing out every last nanosecond of performance… for #reasons.

Aside from that, it can also be genuinely fun. Especially if you're dealing with an ISA that you not only like but can also directly recall the hexadecimal representation of most mnemonics from the cerebellum.

In any case – nothing is so good that it can't be optimized further. So, it's entirely reasonable to consider whether specific, frequently recurring sequences of assembly instructions could be replaced with more optimal alternatives. A lovely sub-discipline of the widely admired task of compiler construction. 🙄

Ryan Russell aka RussellSprouts seems to have a soft spot for this topic. At least he did almost 6 years ago when he introduced his project 6502 Enumerator to the general public. The tool isn't something everyone needs every day. However, if you're involved in the aforementioned activity (the manual assembly thing), you might find this tool to be a valuable asset.

Share the signal:

Read the full newsletter Issue #89 of 8bitnews.io: Nintendo64@FPGA

More from #89

Don't want to miss updates like that? Subscribe below and receive regular content that we only share with our subscribers.

Don't Miss

Sign up for our retro & computing magazine and get content like that regularly. Relevant. Up to date. Free.

We send our subscribers one update twice a month. Retrocomputing topics well curated by a team who love machines of the 70s, 80s and 90s as much as you do.

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Imprint