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People are still releasing DOS games, intros and demos targeting old hardware, so to them even some of the specific techniques described in the book may be rele
by boomlinde 7y ago
People are still releasing DOS games, intros and demos targeting old hardware, so to them even some of the specific techniques described in the book may be relevant. On a higher level the algorithms described may be useful in modern systems with simple frame buffers. On a yet higher level, the general attitude towards optimization and problem solving that the book promotes seems timeless to me.
I also think that there is always some value in understanding the past in order to make sense of what is relevant to you in the now and what will be in the future, so I don't fully agree that there is a historical-relevant dichotomy. If you have the time to spare you can dig into the details of e.g. WWI and come out of it with a better understanding of the current state of affairs.
- phtrivier 7y agoIf your point is that knowing the past is, in general, interesting to understand the future, then I broadly agree. However, at some point, records of the past become full of anectodes and little details that don't translate to anything valuable. And I was wondering if this was the case here. I should have pointed out that I actually read part of the black book back in 2003 (how times flies...) , and, back then, I was already wondering if the book was relevant because of the focus of assembly and pre-pentium chips. So, seeing the book mentioned 16 years later made me wonder what I might have missed, besides the eternal truth of "measure before you optimize".