there is hope for tiny code!

15 Apr 2006

...

  Smallest executable I ever generated was a
whopping 7 bytes long -- after I'd
 seen the "CLS" command under DOS and wanted the same thing for my CP/M box...
 Used standard tools,  too,  and didn't have to do anything particularly
 tricky.  
 the smallest executable is 0 bytes.
 With several OS's, it will perfom a jump to 100h, and rerun whatever
 executable is still in RAM. 
For example, it works under CP/M

That trick is in the Epson PX8 user manual. It suggests creating a 0 byte 
COM file called GO.COM which can then be used to re-enter the last 
executed program. 

That Epson manual [1] is s strange mix of new user information and 
reasonably techncial stuff (like a list of the BIOS and BDOS calls, how 
to access the ADC by POKEing a machine code driver in from BASIC, and so on)

[1] Not as strange as a Sharp manual I have (I think for the MZ700). It 
has the standard trivial introduction to BASIC followed by full 
schematics (even of the SMPSU board) and an assembly listing of the 
monitor ROM. Go figure.

-tony

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there is hope for tiny code!