Simon Willison’s Weblog

Subscribe

20th March 2026

Tool TURBO.COM — 39,731 Bytes Deconstructed — Explore an interactive breakdown of Turbo Pascal 3.02A's 39,731-byte executable, mapping each function from the header and display system through the parser and symbol table. Navigate the binary segments with an overhead visualization and detailed hex dumps with annotated disassembly, revealing how a complete compiler, editor, and runtime fit within the constraints of 1986 DOS memory while routing all file I/O through a single INT 21h dispatcher gateway.

This is a beat by Simon Willison, posted on 20th March 2026.

Monthly briefing

Sponsor me for $10/month and get a curated email digest of the month's most important LLM developments.

Pay me to send you less!

Sponsor & subscribe