Microsoft used an internal 'Basic Block Tool' nicknamed 'Microsoft Lego' to optimize software binaries for speed
By
Richard Speed
Summary
Former Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer revealed that Microsoft used an internal tool called Basic Block Tool (BBT), nicknamed "Microsoft Lego," to optimize software binaries by shuffling their internals for faster execution. This practice helped make Windows and other Microsoft software feel more responsive and efficient on the limited hardware of the era, such as systems with only 12 MB of RAM.
Source
bskyMicrosoft used an internal 'Basic Block Tool' nicknamed 'Microsoft Lego' to optimize software binaries for speedtheregister.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledFormer Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer spilled the beans on the practice, confirming that the company used an internal application called Basic Block Tool (BBT) – known internally as Microsoft Lego – to shuffle the internals of binaries to speed execution.
People of a certain age sometimes like to reminisce about how software in the old days was somehow more responsive and more efficient on far less powerful hardware.
Microsoft's approach was to take its software binaries and optimize the heck out of them.
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