[mathisfun123]

> Asm is simple enough that "mental execution" is far easier, if more tedious, than in HLLs

Ya totally I can also keep 32 registers, a memory file, and stack pointer all in my head at once ...fellow human... (In 2026 I might actually be an LLM in which I really can keep all that context in my "head"!)

[RobotToaster]

there's an interesting new API skill for the human cortex v1.0, that allows for a much larger context window, it's called pen and paper.

[ExtremisAndy]

For real! I occasionally write assembly because, for some reason, I kind of enjoy it, and also to keep my brain sharp. But yes, there is no way I could do it without pencil and paper (unless I’m on a site like CPUlator that visually shows everything that’s happening).

[mathisfun123]

What do the words "mental execution" mean?

[userbinator]

Using your brain and not the machine.

[userbinator]

8 registers are sufficient; if you forget what one holds, looking up at the previous write to it is enough.

Contrast this with trying to figure out all the nested implicit actions that a single line of some HLL like C++ will do.