CompuServe Thread

You're correct regarding the semantics. I'm using the term "relocatable" to mean PC-relative, as in "this code can be relocated to anywhere in memory, even after loading, and operate without changes." PC-relative code is faster (slightly, but faster) than its absolute long equivalent, and requires 1/3 less code space. You can't MOVE PC-relative – this one limitation is generally handled by assigning an address register or two to the base(s) of global variables and indexing indirect off it/them. Again, address register indirect is faster, and less memory consumptive, than direct absolute addressing. Most of my experience writing 68000 code comes from the Mac. It _requires_ "non-absolute" (okay?) addressing because of its heap management. Code segments are treated no differently from other data in memory, and the system frequently shuffles segments around in the heap during compaction/garbage collection. Mac development environments (like assemblers) "help" you out by generating PC-relative code in response to "normal" language directives. Thus, you can write non-absolute programs without the extra syntax bogging you down. Since non-absolute code requires no load-time modification, is faster, and is less memory consumptive than absolutely located code, it seems almost ludicrous to not to support it (even mandate it) as the default addressing mode. [ Russ ] [ "Soapboxes'R'Us" ]