> It's not possible to do anything that needs interrupts, IO, or memory without an external library, which if you're that low you're gonna be writing yourself either way.
That external library is called a runtime in compiler design classes.
> Accessing individual registers is also a special behavior that doesn't really fall under using C, and regardless that totally possible without a runtime (the __asm__ keyword, thats all compiler driven).
The __asm__ keyword is not part of ANSI C, it is a language extension.
Not all C compilers offer support for inline assembly and in fact, a few commercial ones do not.
> If you're going to get so specific as to call the x86 processor a runtime, then there's no point in arguing.
That external library is called a runtime in compiler design classes.
> Accessing individual registers is also a special behavior that doesn't really fall under using C, and regardless that totally possible without a runtime (the __asm__ keyword, thats all compiler driven).
The __asm__ keyword is not part of ANSI C, it is a language extension.
Not all C compilers offer support for inline assembly and in fact, a few commercial ones do not.
> If you're going to get so specific as to call the x86 processor a runtime, then there's no point in arguing.
Where did I mentioned anything like this?