Re: print_npx_status_word

Mark Kettenis
2011-04-16T17:10:59Z

> Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:46:54 +0200
> From: "Baars, M.J." <mjbaars1977.gdb@gmail.com>
>
> >> When you look at the code in question more closely, you will see that it
> >> will present the content of the status word in more detail than the
> >> original function,
> > Which isn't necessarily a good thing.
>
> I'll show you the difference in output after the 'info float' command.
>
> original output:
>
> Status Word: 0x0000
> TOP: 0
>
> new and improved output:
>
> status word : 0x0000
> exception flags :
> stack fault : 0
> error summary status : 0
> busy : 0
> top of stack pointer : 0
> condition code :
>
> This will give you a much better overview of what is actually happing in
> the numeric core, which is eventually what every programmer wants is
> what I was always taught.

But it will add a lot of extra lines to the output of "info float"
such that it doesn't fit on a standard 24-line screen anymore. The
current way of printing things is much more concise. And your way of
printing things doesn't really add more information; it just uses more
words. Admittedly to interpret the printed codes you probably need to
have the IA-32 Architecture Software Developer's manual at hand. But
to be honest, if you're looking at the FPU at this detailed level you
probably already are reading that manual.