diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/NotExpressionAndIfComparisonExprChanger.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/NotExpressionAndIfComparisonExprChanger.kt
index 3967dfa84..f59a7871b 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/NotExpressionAndIfComparisonExprChanger.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/NotExpressionAndIfComparisonExprChanger.kt
@@ -48,6 +48,34 @@ internal class NotExpressionAndIfComparisonExprChanger(val program: Program, val
             return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(expr, notExpr, parent))
         }
 
+
+        // applying De Morgan's laws proved beneficial for the code generator,
+        // when the code has one outer 'not' instead of two inner ones.
+        if(expr.operator=="or" || expr.operator=="and") {
+            val newOper = if(expr.operator=="or") "and" else "or"
+            val leftP = expr.left as? PrefixExpression
+            val rightP = expr.right as? PrefixExpression
+            if(leftP!=null && leftP.operator=="not" && rightP!=null && rightP.operator=="not") {
+                // (not a) or (not b)  --> not(a and b)
+                // (not a) and (not b) --> not(a or b)
+                val inner = BinaryExpression(leftP.expression, newOper, rightP.expression, expr.position)
+                val notExpr = PrefixExpression("not", inner, expr.position)
+                return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(expr, notExpr, parent))
+            }
+            val leftB = expr.left as? BinaryExpression
+            val rightB = expr.right as? BinaryExpression
+            if(leftB!=null && leftB.operator=="==" && (leftB.right as? NumericLiteral)?.number==0.0
+                && rightB!=null && rightB.operator=="==" && (rightB.right as? NumericLiteral)?.number==0.0) {
+                // a==0 or b==0  --> (a!=0 and b!=0)==0
+                // a==0 and b==0 --> (a!=0 or b!=0)==0
+                leftB.operator = "!="
+                rightB.operator = "!="
+                val inner = BinaryExpression(leftB, newOper, rightB, expr.position)
+                val notExpr = BinaryExpression(inner, "==", NumericLiteral.optimalInteger(0, expr.position), expr.position)
+                return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(expr, notExpr, parent))
+            }
+        }
+
         return noModifications
     }
 
diff --git a/compiler/test/TestOptimization.kt b/compiler/test/TestOptimization.kt
index c31b0bc7a..01c4e7939 100644
--- a/compiler/test/TestOptimization.kt
+++ b/compiler/test/TestOptimization.kt
@@ -307,8 +307,8 @@ class TestOptimization: FunSpec({
                     a1 = not a1                 ; a1 = a1==0
                     a1 = not not a1             ; a1 = a1,  so removed totally
                     a1 = not not not a1         ; a1 = a1==0
-                    a1 = not a1 or not a2       ; a1 = a1==0 or a2==0
-                    a1 = not a1 and not a2      ; a1 = a1==0 and a2==0
+                    a1 = not a1 or not a2       ; a1 = (a1 and a2)==0
+                    a1 = not a1 and not a2      ; a1 = (a1 or a2)==0
                 }
             }
         """
@@ -324,8 +324,12 @@ class TestOptimization: FunSpec({
         value1.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
         value2.operator shouldBe "=="
         value2.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
-        value3.operator shouldBe "or"
-        value4.operator shouldBe "and"
+        value3.operator shouldBe "=="
+        value3.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
+        (value3.left as BinaryExpression).operator shouldBe "and"
+        value4.operator shouldBe "=="
+        value4.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
+        (value4.left as BinaryExpression).operator shouldBe "or"
     }
 
     test("various 'not' operator rewrites with optimizations") {
@@ -337,8 +341,8 @@ class TestOptimization: FunSpec({
                     a1 = not a1                 ; a1 = a1==0
                     a1 = not not a1             ; a1 = a1, so removed totally
                     a1 = not not not a1         ; a1 = a1==0
-                    a1 = not a1 or not a2       ; a1 = a1==0 or a2==0
-                    a1 = not a1 and not a2      ; a1 = a1==0 and a2==0
+                    a1 = not a1 or not a2       ; a1 = (a1 and a2)==0
+                    a1 = not a1 and not a2      ; a1 = (a1 or a2)==0
                 }
             }
         """
@@ -354,8 +358,12 @@ class TestOptimization: FunSpec({
         value1.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
         value2.operator shouldBe "=="
         value2.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
-        value3.operator shouldBe "or"
-        value4.operator shouldBe "and"
+        value3.operator shouldBe "=="
+        value3.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
+        (value3.left as BinaryExpression).operator shouldBe "and"
+        value4.operator shouldBe "=="
+        value4.right shouldBe NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, Position.DUMMY)
+        (value4.left as BinaryExpression).operator shouldBe "or"
     }
 
     test("asmgen correctly deals with float typecasting in augmented assignment") {
diff --git a/examples/test.p8 b/examples/test.p8
index 3829af4ba..23555f35c 100644
--- a/examples/test.p8
+++ b/examples/test.p8
@@ -4,18 +4,31 @@
 
 main {
     sub start() {
-        ubyte @shared rnr = $a0
-        txt.print_ub(rnr>=$33)
-        txt.print_ub(rnr>=$66)
-        txt.print_ub(rnr>=$99)
-        txt.print_ub(rnr>=$cc)
-        txt.nl()
+        ; is optimizing this useful? :   not a1 or not a2 -> not(a1 and a2)  likewise for and.
+        bool @shared a1 = true
+        bool @shared a2
+        bool @shared a4
 
-        ubyte wordNr = (rnr >= $33) as ubyte + (rnr >= $66) as ubyte + (rnr >= $99) as ubyte + (rnr >= $CC) as ubyte
-        txt.print_uw(wordNr)
-        txt.nl()
-        wordNr = 100 - (rnr >= $33) - (rnr >= $66) - (rnr >= $99) - (rnr >= $CC)
-        txt.print_uw(wordNr)
-        txt.nl()
+        if a1==0 and a2==0
+            cx16.r0++
+
+        if (a1!=0 or a2!=0)==0
+            cx16.r0++
+
+        if a1==0 or a2==0
+            cx16.r0++
+
+        if (a1!=0 and a2!=0)==0
+            cx16.r0++
+
+
+;        if not a1 or not a2
+;            cx16.r0++
+;        if not (a1 and a2)
+;            cx16.r0++
+;        if not a1 and not a2
+;            cx16.r0++
+;        if not (a1 or a2)
+;            cx16.r0++
     }
 }