Re: Programming Books and such (was Re: Becoming a "Super User")

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

A couple of recommendations from my perspective...My perspective is that I
took a "Level II BASIC" programming course on a TRS-80 Model I back in
1980, and started playing with a pair of Apple ]['s (a 32k ][ with an
Applesoft ROMcard and a 48k ][+) at school, played with them an
unreasonable amount; my family got the ][e in about 1984; I bought my IIgs
just a couple of years ago.  Programming skill?  I unabashedly call myself
an Applesoft Ace, and I believe that the "B" in "BASIC" is a misguided
concept introduced by Pascal and COBOL programmers.

(TANGENT:  My personal history of programming)

After becoming proficient in Applesoft, I took a course in Apple Pascal. 
If you want to learn Pascal, DO NOT try to learn it on an Apple ][e. 
Pascal was too frustrating, so I switched to 6502, which worked a lot
better for me.  I have yet to write a full app in 6502, but I've written a
lot of support routines (note players, cursors, input loops, stuff like
that) for my Applesoft programs.  While I got the main concepts of BASIC
from that BASIC programming course, and fundamentals of 6502 through eight
hours of 6502 classes, I'm mostly self taught.  To reach this level, I
highly recommend the following books:

(END TANGENT)
To learn Applesoft BASIC, if you already know the fundamentals of how to
put together a BASIC program (PRINT, INPUT, FOR...NEXT, IF...THEN, GOTO,
LIST, RUN), and want the Apple specifics, try to find a copy of the "Apple
][ User's Guide" by Lon Poole.  An outstanding general reference,
particularly in the second edition, for the 8-bit ]['s.  A more
fundamental approach to Applesoft is Apple's own "Applesoft Tutorial". 
But the nice thing about the User's Guide is that it includes a complete
Applesoft command reference, and all the DOS 3.3 programming information
that a beginning programmer needs to know.  Then, if you are programming
under DOS 3.3 (which seems to be a little more programmer-friendly than
BASIC.SYSTEM), you'll quickly want either the old brown "The DOS Manual"
or the newer "DOS Programmer's Manual".  Everything you ever wanted to
know about using and programming for DOS 3.3.  I'm less familiar with the
ProDOS references, as I never had any use for ProDOS at all until I got
the IIgs (and its included hard drive).  At the advanced level, "Beneath
Apple DOS" is a must-read, but before getting into that, you'll want a
start in 6502 programming.

By far the most useful tutorial/manual I have found for 6502 programming
is "Assembly Lines:  The Book" by Roger Wagner.  It is easily the most
well-worn book in my programming library, and it is how I learned to
program in 6502.  Is it any wonder I like Merlin?

Right now, as I find the time to do it, I am starting to learn
Toolbox/65816 programming for the IIgs, but having more trouble with it
(see my earlier post, "Okay, so where did my NDAs go?" for an example). 
The book I am using is "Compute's Apple IIgs Machine Language for
Beginners" and that I think is part of the problem...I'm trying to skip
over most of the 6502 stuff that I already know and get into the 65816 and
Toolbox part, and I am unaccustomed to using macros...and it took me ages
to figure out *where* to JSL to do a tool call.  Now I think I have the
macros figured out and know why 65816 doesn't look a whole lot like
machine code to me.  Looks like fun, though!

Just my nickel's worth...

--Dave Althoff, ][.
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