[net.micro.apple] 6502 assemblers

kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) (02/01/86)

In article <4269@mhuxd.UUCP> res1@mhuxd.UUCP (STEALEY) writes:

>	I would appreciate expansion of this discussion to include
>recommendations on various assemblers. In particular, does anyone
>know if "The ProDos Assembler" is produced by Apple?  It is recommended
>several times in the first book mentioned above.
>
>Rick
>{ihnp4!mhuxd!res1}

	About assemblers, I particularly like Merlin, and look forward to
it's full screen editor.  I can use text files and edit with
AppleWriter, but it can get awkward trying to edit, assemble, edit,
assemble, etc.

	I have heard good things about Lisa, but also that it is getting
out of date.  I don't really know what out of date means, but I do think
that an assembler should keep up with the latest software innovations.

	Another assembler that I have heard rave reviews about is the
Orca/m or somesuch.  I understand that this not only supports the 65C02
(as does Merlin and the ProDOS assemblers), but that it will support the
Rockwell chip with it's bit manipulation opcodes and even the 65C816.

	The ProDOS assembler is published by Apple, though I don't know who
wrote it.  It is said to be a major reworking of Apple's original EDASM,
with many bug fixes, good documentation, and a plethora of new features.

	I believe all of these assemblers are available in both DOS and
ProDOS versions.

Sean Kamath

-- 
________________________________________________________________________________

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And I looked again
And the monster was me...

goldman@umn-cs.UUCP (Matthew D. Goldman ) (02/05/86)

In article <2419@reed.UUCP> kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) writes:
>
>	Another assembler that I have heard rave reviews about is the
>Orca/m or somesuch.  I understand that this not only supports the 65C02
>(as does Merlin and the ProDOS assemblers), but that it will support the
>Rockwell chip with it's bit manipulation opcodes and even the 65C816.
>

ORCA / M is a nice assembler, I don't really have a lot of information on
is (my access to apple's stopped shortly after I purchased ORCA/M) but
what I've read about it is really spiffy. The version I have only runs
on 3.3 Dos; however they supply the **Source Code** so that you can
recompile the assembler to meet your needs. They tell you to lock your
origional disks away in a safe place after copying them to another set
and to NEVER work off of the origionals.  Once I get a set of disk drives
for my blackbox ][+ I'll post more info



-- 
-------
				Matthew Goldman
				Computer Science Department
				University of Minnesota
				...ihnp4!umn-cs!goldman
				...stolaf!umn-cs!goldman

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kenyon@nmtvax.UUCP (02/06/86)

>	About assemblers, I particularly like Merlin, and look forward to
>it's full screen editor.  I can use text files and edit with

I own a copy of merlin (an older version).  I have never found a full 
screen editor.  Maybe it's just too old.  

Merlin has about the best editor around (even the old version).  It uses
the space bar to do tabbing and puts the cursor right in the field you
want.  Nice and handy.  It is also two orders of magnitude faster than
EDASM from apple.  It also includes good macro facilities.

Another good assembler is the S-C Macro Assembler.  This is probably the
best assembler around from a standpoint of amount of use, amount of
support, and ease of use.  It comes in two flavors, 3.3 and ProDOS.  It
assembles quickly and can assemble 6502, 65c02, 65c802, 65c816 right out
of the box.  Cross assemblers are availible for many processors.  S-C
even has a newsletter that owners may subscribe to that has information
about things that users have been doing.  Also available is a full
screen editor that patches into S-C.

Good luck...

Robert Kenyon
...unmvax!nmtvax!kenyon

kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) (02/10/86)

In article <926@nmtvax.UUCP> kenyon@nmtvax.UUCP (Robert Kenyon) writes:
>>	About assemblers, I particularly like Merlin, and look forward to
>>it's full screen editor.  I can use text files and edit with
>
>I own a copy of merlin (an older version).  I have never found a full 
>screen editor.  Maybe it's just too old.  
>
>Robert Kenyon
>...unmvax!nmtvax!kenyon

	Here's an update to my previous posting.  Merlin Pro now has a full
screen editor (I'm have it and it works great.).  If you have an old
version of Merlin and also have a //e or //c, you can upgrade to Merlin
Pro for about $30-$35.  I'm not sure how much, nor if the upgrade
includes the full screen editor.  Just send in your front inside cover
of you manual.  Call them to find out exact prices etc.  The number is
right below the address on that page.

	Another note.  Apple Assembly Line is the magazine that is based on
the S/C Assembler.  I'm interested and would like to give this magazine
a try.  Could someone e-mail me their address?  Thanks.

	Sean Kamath
-- 
________________________________________________________________________________

UUCP {ihnp4,decvax,ucbcad}!tektronix!reed!kamath

And I looked again
And the monster was me...

nazgul@apollo.uucp (Kee Hinckley) (02/11/86)

In article <874@umn-cs.UUCP> goldman@umn-cs.UUCP (Matthew D. Goldman ) writes:
> In article <2419@reed.UUCP> kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) writes:
> >
> >	Another assembler that I have heard rave reviews about is the
> >Orca/m or somesuch.  I understand that this not only supports the 65C02
> >(as does Merlin and the ProDOS assemblers), but that it will support the
> >Rockwell chip with it's bit manipulation opcodes and even the 65C816.
> >

ORCA/M supports the 6502, the 65C02 and the 65C816.  In fact I think they
claim that their mneumnonics (sp?) were chosen as the standards for the
65C816.

> 
> ORCA / M is a nice assembler, I don't really have a lot of information on
> is (my access to apple's stopped shortly after I purchased ORCA/M) but
> what I've read about it is really spiffy. The version I have only runs
> on 3.3 Dos; however they supply the **Source Code** so that you can
> recompile the assembler to meet your needs. They tell you to lock your
> 

Both the DOS and ProDos versions will blow the doors off of most main-frame
assemblers in terms of capabilities.  The macros are so powerful that you
could write a Basic interpreter in the macro language.  It also comes with
tons of library routines for device independant graphics, access to prodos
mli calls and much more.  They are also now sell a version of Small C that
can be compiled in the assembler envioronment (it comes with full source
code and documentation on what the routines do, all for $50).  My only 
complaint is that the documentation could use more examples, but otherwise
I highly reccommend it.

Now for the trailer.

I have a beta of the ProDos C compiler from Aztec.  I haven't had a chance
to use it much yet (I've got a product I have to get out the door for the
Apple and I'm not going to switch compilers in mid-stream), but the
enviornment looks REALLY nice.  They essentially have mini-bourne shell
and they have tons of UNIX library routines (including the ioctl calls
so you can write terminal emulators easily).  It all looks really nice, but
(and this applies to ORCA to) it looks like it will really be best if you
have a large capacity disk drive.  I do my C work with a 64K ram disk and
two normal drives and that is not enough.  The new prodos compilers and
assemblers (ORCA and AZTEC) both have so many routines that you'd really
like to have them all online.

--
                                  Kee Hinckley
                         ...decvax!wanginst!apollo!nazgul


    Simon the Walking Glitch was one of the principle sources
of this vast new mythology of dread.  He spent many weekends
in New Y ork, hobnobbing with the literary intelligensia, and
he was a master put-on artist.  He had a way of dropping
casual remarks in a mildly worried tone that carried conviction:
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kind of sad and resigned smile:  'I wish the Beast didn't have 
such a low opinion of human beings.'  That sort of thing.
    Simon kept this kind of demonology circulating because the 
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    As long as people kept worrying that the machines were taking 
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    Which was that the programmers were taking over.

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                    Schroedinger's Cat III