[comp.sys.amiga.programmer] Assembler

umnoor@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Nasir Ahmed Noor) (05/17/91)

I would like to see some suggestions about which package to get for a beginner
in assembly language programming.  I want to have reasonable expantion
available to be when my skill advances.
Email to    umnoor@ccu.umanitoba.ca

chucks@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Erik Funkenbusch) (05/17/91)

umnoor@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Nasir Ahmed Noor) writes:
>
>I would like to see some suggestions about which package to get for a beginner
>in assembly language programming.  I want to have reasonable expantion
>available to be when my skill advances.
>Email to    umnoor@ccu.umanitoba.ca


Well, if you are just testing the waters to see if you like it, i'd suggest a
PD assembler like A68k.  if you are determined to get into assembly and will
work with it then i suggest going all out and gettting a good assembler like
Macro 68.  in my opinion Macro 68 is the best there is, plus is is (as far as
i know) the only assembler that supports the new instructions in the 040, as
well as MMU instructions and copper instructions.

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mikeh@touch.touch.com (Mike Haas) (05/25/91)

In article <4935@orbit.cts.com> chucks@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Erik Funkenbusch) writes:
>umnoor@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Nasir Ahmed Noor) writes:
>>
>>I would like to see some suggestions about which package to get for a beginner
>>in assembly language programming.  I want to have reasonable expantion
>>available to be when my skill advances.
>>Email to    umnoor@ccu.umanitoba.ca
>
>

JForth includes an INTERACTIVE assembler that can read source lines
either from a text file or the keyboard.  disassembler too.
Can even mix assembly with high-level jforth in the same file.

Might be good for beginners since you can quickly write little
assembly thingys and run them immediately.  no linking.

for example, the following would be legal in jforth

asm AddTwoNumbers
     move.l  #3,d0       put 3 in data register 0
     add.l   #6,d0       add 6 to it
     \
     \ set jforth up to print the number
     \
     move.l  d7,-(a6)    'push out' the 'top of stack register' to real stack
     move.l  d0,d7       move the sum into the 'top of stack' register
     callcfa .           '.' is the operative for 'print number'
     rts                 all jforth 'routines' end in this instruction
end-code                 jforth 'cleans things up'

you could type this in from the keyboard (woth or without the comments)
or INCLUDE it from a file.  Whichever, it creates an executable subroutine
fully linked...you can immediately turn around and simply type in
AddTwoNumbers <return>  into the jforth console window and a 9
will print out.

you do have to know how to push things and pop things off their data stack,
but that's pretty easy...it doesn't get any worse than above for pushing,
popping is one instruction.

If you write high-level jforth code, you can call assembly-language
words same as other high-level ones...their use is identical.
Worth taking a look at.