Re: Wanted: Assembler references - Was "Mini-assembler in Apple ][+"

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Roy Miller wrote:

>"Michael J. Mahon" wrote:
>
>> After a possible (very) brief introduction to the basic idea of a language,
>the
>> best way to learn to program in it is by _reading_ well-written examples of
>> the language in use.
>
>The best way to learn Greek, Latin, or Hebrew, is, after a brief introduction
>to
>basic vocabulary and grammar, to start sweating through the text(s).
>It can mean taking down the lexicons, and sometimes the reader's guides, and
>if you
>are really stumped, the analytical lexicons, but, as time goes on, the forms
>and
>the grammar become second nature, and your vocabulary grows, and you find
>that you
>can read and understand just fine without a "library" sitting open on your
>desk.
>
>Is that what you are saying Michael?

Yes--with the additional recommendation that reading finely-crafted
works in a language (computer or natural) is an excellent means to
improve one's style and fluency in _writing_ it.

Seeing how masters of a language use it in subtle ways to produce
varying effects is, in my opinion, the best way to develop a good
writing style of one's own.

I am not surprised at the relative rarity of good writers in today's
"crop", since relatively few of today's students are exposed to
the great literature of the language they are using.  For many,
this kind of study of past works is seen as a tedious waste of
valuable time, rather than as a gateway to another mind and
a tutorial on effective writing techniques.

This is as true for assembly language and C as for English...

>> A thorough study of the Apple II monitor will teach you more than most
>> people know about programming the 6502.  In fact, though a commented
>> listing will make it go faster, creating your own comments for an
>> uncommented disassembly will deepen your knowledge and
>> appreciation of structure and function.
>>
>> Of course, you should have access to a good description of the 6502
>> architecture and instruction semantics.  Guessing is no substitute
>> for knowing exactly which status bits are set by an operation and
>> how many cycles it requires to execute under which circumstances.
>>
>> This same principle--reading classic "literature" in a programming
>> language to learn to write in it--is quite universal, applying to natural
>> languages as well.  It's too bad that this principle is so little applied
>> today, since it works so well.

-michael

 Email:  mjmahon@aol.com
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