Re: Popping registers

[Zack Weinberg <zack at codesourcery dot com>]

At Tue, 21 Dec 2004 02:48:01 +0100,
Sam Lauber wrote:
> 
> What is a stack?

An ubiquitous data structure, an ordered list of items that can be
augmented or diminished but only from one end; think of a stack of
dishes.  "The stack" without further qualification refers to the stack
used to keep track of procedure calls.

The verbs "push" and "pop", when used in computer-science contexts
without further qualification, invariably refer to adding items to, or
taking items away from, a stack; it should be obvious which is which.
This is why Richard thinks you are talking about messing with the
(procedure-call) stack behind the compiler's back.

It seems your original question was asking something rather different,
but I do not know what that was.  However, given your level of
confusion and inexperience ...

> And no, I do not know assembly, and I haven't had computer science
> class yet.

... you should not be posting to this mailing list at all.  This
mailing list is for discussion among people developing gcc itself;
it's not for basic programming questions.

If you would like to become a developer, you first need to learn how
to program.  We do encourage this, but we're not going to teach you.
Not here, anyway.  It sounds like you are already taking a course;
that's a good start.  There are plenty of good books that you could
read, too.  Once you have done those things, then you will probably
know enough to start asking questions in general programming forums.
But, this mailing list is not one of them either.

zw