This page contains odd stuff that doesn't really fit elsewhere.

My MSc dissertation

I wrote a dissertation as part of my Master's degree in Computer Science. It was about improving the portability of a compiler - for the language BCPL. The project was great fun, and I passed. However, it really serves as an indication of what one could get away with in those days, and it shouldn't be taken as an exemplar. Here it is:
Improving the Portability of the BCPL Compiler.

Making Code Work Better

I used to know a clever guy named Tony Ingenoso, who worked on (inter alia) the code of PC-DOS. He put in lots of clever stuff to squeeze the best out of a DOS PC, and also did a lot of code optimisation.

I discovered that I have a mirror of some material that he wrote about this; it no longer exists on the original site, or elsewhere as far as I can see. I have thus decided to place it here for everyone's edification. Of course, a lot of it is relevant only to long gone systems, but it does throw some interesting light on a number of things, and some of it is transferable to contemporary code.

If Tony sees this and has any objection (or a blessing), he should of course contact me. But it's too good just to let go.

Tony Ingenoso's Making Code Work Better

The CHEF editor

CHEF is an editor which looks superficially like the UNIX ed editor. However, it has a more logical command structure, is (arguably) more user friendly, includes helpful error messages, and has a comprehensive help facility.

There is a paper on it here.

I still use CHEF on at least one system. More details on request.

Girls and Computing

There has been much debate about the gender imbalance in the computing industry, which dates back to the 1980s. Here is a somewhat old paper (written after the imbalance started) which may be a point for discussion.

• WCCE 90 - Girls and Computing.pdf