>SNIP
>>
>>One thing that I've noticed doesn't happen anymore is that the software never really gets to the point where it takes fully advantage of the clock speed. Afterall, who, any longer, goes into compiled code and optimizes it into machine code? Used to be commonplace, especially with operating systems.
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>Hi George,
>
>Not disagreeing, but I do think that the cycles are being used in a different way today, more to our advantage.
>I think spellcheck might be an example. Yesterday it would interfere with typing speed so it was only available as a standalone function and the user would expect wait time while it processed. Now the dictionary can be checked virtually as every letter is typed, doing not only spellcheck but autocorrect stuff too.
>
>Of course the best would still be fully optimize code throughout. Maybe it will one day come about again, just like they're now reworking old closed gold mines.
>
>Cheers,
>
Jim,

In some ways I think that this has to do with the improvements in CPU speed, and in others, improvement in design. Years ago, programmers would execute routines to do stuff specifically during the VBI. If you can do that, then you should be able to execute much more during the period of time between keypresses, which is so much longer.< g >