Chris_F_Chiesa@cup.portal.com (03/27/89)
Hello Net...
Okay, I've had my Amiga 1000 since last summer, so I think it's about time
I started programming it. I don't know C, and I work with VMS Macro Assembler
and am therefore trying to approach the Amiga in 68000 assembly. The trouble
is, I'm meeting extreme failure with the tools at my disposal and have NO idea
what I may be doing wrong.
I am currently "armed" with the following:
* Amiga Macro Assembler v 1.1 (recently bought 'at discount')
* Amiga System Programmer's Guide, new and well-reviewed ABACUS book
* Amiga manuals --
RKM (Exec)
RKM (Libraries and Devices)
Intuition Ref. Manual
Hardware Manual
Programmer's Reference Guides
* Experience with "other" assemblers etc.
Basically, I'm trying to start off simple: read in the ABACUS book (explains
the system from hardware level on up), try typing in, assembling-and-linking
the "demo progrms" and see what I can pick up.
Trouble is, the very first demo program I typed in and ran through the
Amiga Macro Assembler does nothing for me but GURU, despite the book's smug
assurance that "every program in this book has been thoroughly tested." I
suspect that I ran afoul of some sort of very basic "unspoken rule" in the
assembly/linkage process (using Alink, by the way...) -- I had to make a
few changes (unsupported directives, etc.) in the source code to get it to
assemble, and then when that version turned out to GURU I tried making a few
changes that seemed to be recommended in an appendix to the RKM.
So far, NO DICE.
I have the strangest feeling that there's some 'standard' thing I'm sup-
posed to be INCLUDE-ing in the source file, or on the assembly command line,
or on the linker command line, or--?
I'd like to get into correspondence with any reader of these words through
e-mail, as I can't keep up with comp.sys.amiga volume through Portal's menu
system.
(Special "aside" to Portal-resident Amigans: somewhere I picked up a rumor
that there's a big Amiga support area here on Portal somewhere. WHERE? haven'
used Portal for anything but Mail and Usenet since joining in December...)
Thanks in advance (and Hi Dave!),
Chris Chiesa