> But occasionally, we discover a piece of software that transcends mere utility. These tools capture our imagination, open new possibilities, and affect how we design our own systems.
For me, it was DEBUG.EXE on MS-DOS.
This humble debugger allowed me to peek into interrupt vector tables, inspect the content of ROM, learn how MS-DOS boots from scratch, etc.
I fondly remember the days when armed with an assembler, some knowledge of the CPU and the computer architecture, we could plunge into the depths of the system, unravelling its intricacies to our heart's content.
My first programming forays were with the assembler feature of DEBUG.EXE, on an 8088. Extraordinarily cumbersome in retrospect, but it was existing at the time. Definitely a gateway experience.
For me, it was DEBUG.EXE on MS-DOS.
This humble debugger allowed me to peek into interrupt vector tables, inspect the content of ROM, learn how MS-DOS boots from scratch, etc.
I fondly remember the days when armed with an assembler, some knowledge of the CPU and the computer architecture, we could plunge into the depths of the system, unravelling its intricacies to our heart's content.