You know, ASM code can be hacked, and the older the ASM code, the less complex it is, because the compilers were not as aggressive as today's.
This has been done with abandoned games to fix bugs and compatibility issues, ex. Forgotten Empires (the mod)[1]
ASM code can also be ported between platforms (ex. from 16-bit DOS to 64-bit Linux), as long as you replace OS-specific calls, interrupts, IO access, etc., although the effort will be greater.
People should stop pretending that a compiled binary is a black box, because it isn't.
Still, the point that Windows makes backwards-compatibility as straightforward as possible prevails, since the cases where you need to do complicated maneuvers like hacking ASM code to fix compatibility issues are scarce.
I still get amazed that I can play some obscure games designed for Windows 95 and compiled using the DirectX 3 SDK. I can't say the same about Linux since I hadn't been able to recompile without fixing code old open source games, because X kernel version broke Y version of Z framework.
This has been done with abandoned games to fix bugs and compatibility issues, ex. Forgotten Empires (the mod)[1]
ASM code can also be ported between platforms (ex. from 16-bit DOS to 64-bit Linux), as long as you replace OS-specific calls, interrupts, IO access, etc., although the effort will be greater.
People should stop pretending that a compiled binary is a black box, because it isn't.
Still, the point that Windows makes backwards-compatibility as straightforward as possible prevails, since the cases where you need to do complicated maneuvers like hacking ASM code to fix compatibility issues are scarce.
I still get amazed that I can play some obscure games designed for Windows 95 and compiled using the DirectX 3 SDK. I can't say the same about Linux since I hadn't been able to recompile without fixing code old open source games, because X kernel version broke Y version of Z framework.
[1] http://www.forgottenempires.net/fe