ys2-intro/loader/tools/exomizer-3.1/rawdecrs/6809/exo2_puls.txt

Exomizer2 on 6809 by Puls, implementation details

The code starts by preserving the whole context on the
stack. Interrupts are left in their current state.  The page where the
code runs is loaded into DP from PC. U was loaded with the address of
the last byte of compressed data before the call, so this byte is
copied to bitbuf, which is where the bit stream flows during the
decompression. bitbuf is in fact part of a load immediate to save
space and to increase speed (a load immediate is the quickest load
instruction) (self modifying code).

Y is then loaded with the address of the bits and base table which is
going to be built by the following loop. In order to optimize space
and speed, we use auto-incremental addressing in the loop, (one of the
nice features of the 6809) and since we have to alternatively store
the bits and the bases, they are interleaved in the table (in the 6502
code, the tables are separate), which let us go through just by
incrementing Y with the auto-increments.

The loop is basically the C code with a few twists, again for
optimisation. The << operator is implemented in the loop labeled
"roll". Instead of decrementing the number of iteration to 0, which is
the usual way to make loops, we complement the iteration number and
increment it to 0. Why ? Because we need a 1 for "1 << b1" and using
COM sets CC:Carry to 1 in just one instruction of one byte (forcing
the carry value is otherwise quite complicated to do and using an
extra variable takes a lot of space) ! This 1 in CC:Carry is our 1 of
"1 << b1".

The main decrunching loop is labeled "mloop". Y is first loaded with
the adress of the last byte of the output data. Then again, we
essentially implemented the C code, but with some optimisations. The
loop starts with fetching one bit. if the bit is not 1, D contains 0
at that point. We can therefore use it to initialise the calculation
of the index without explicitely loading a 0.

In order to save some more bytes, the calculation loop is reversed and
the first step is skipped with the "fcb $8c" which is interpreted as a
CMPX instruction with no effect. This is equivalent to a branch to the
next instruction, because the first instruction of the loop (labeld
"rbl") is stored in the parameter of the CMPX. The index is stored
directly in the load immediate labeled "idx" so that it is immediately
available when exiting the loop without a costly store on the stack or
similar operation.

the index is easily compared to 16 with a series of conditional
branches. If the tests are made in the good order, only two branches
are needed since when index is 17, decrementing it once (one byte, 2
cycles) sets it to 16 which is cosily reused as the number of bits to
fetch in that case.

The index calculation is immediately followed by the litteral copy
loop (case index=17 or very first bit=1).  The copy loop for
non-litterals is somewhere else (label "cpy2"). We decided to
implement 2 loops instead of using a flag to determine the "copy mode"
like in C, because this is faster and takes less space than
manipulating an extra variable.

For non-litterals, the length and offsets are computed starting at
"coffs". By reordering the values of the switch case (compare
tab1/tab2 with the 6502 code), we spare a conditional branch.

base[index] + readbits(&in, bits[index]) is computed by the "cook"
subroutine. Since the bits and bases are interleaved, the progression
in the array is by 3. Using 3 ABX to add 3 times B to X is a nice way
to do it, but ASLB is equivalent to *2 and is faster than ABX. 2*B+B
is therefore better than B+B+B. Since the bits and bases are
interleaved, we can use a convenient 1,X to read the base.

The non-litteral copy loop is similar to the litteral one, except that
we use an offset which is hardcoded in the LDA. This offset was
written just before entering the loop, as a result of the "cook"
subroutine.

The decruncher ends by saving Y (address to first byte of decompressed
data) and restoring the context.

The getbits subroutine fetches up to 16 bits from the U stream and
returns them in D. Using a local variable on the stack turned out to
be more compact than anything else as we need several accumulators
here and we only have 2 (A and B). By reordering the loop and making a
wise use of the ROL instruction, the carry flag in CC can be used
instead of masking the value with a 16th bit (C code) when the end of
a sequence is reached. The carry is automatically rolled in and no
extra variable is needed : when bit_buffer is 1, it is rolled right
(CC:Carry becomes 1) then tested to 0, if yes, we load the next byte
from the stream and roll, the highest bit becomes CC:Carry which was
1. So in fact, we reuse the lowest bit of the previous bit_buffer
instead of masking.

While the code is still quite performant, we essentially worked on its
size. Note that there is no extra variable space apart from the
bits/base array.

Possible improvements/modifications :

- The use of DP could be suppressed completely. Pros: -1 byte in size,
  no need to place the code inside a page. Cons: runs slower.