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Hello

Nick_Zravre

Experienced Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2006
Messages
75
Location
Pennsylvania
I'm new here... though I've been visiting the site as a guest for a year. I'm learning Fortran, and assembly. I own two vintage computers.
 
I'm new here... though I've been visiting the site as a guest for a year. I'm learning Fortran, and assembly. I own two vintage computers.

Welcome aboard!

We just had a discussion on Fortran not too long ago. Tell me, are you learning Fortran and assembly on the mainframe? I assume this is for work, right?
 
No, I'm learning them on my current computer(modified IBM 300PL), mainly just to know them. Fortran I'm just learning just to know it. I wish to learn assembly for efficiency.
 
Welcome!
Wow, somebody learning Fortran and Assembly? Awesome!

My programming instructor tried to teach us basic fortran concepts, but I can't remember anything..lol
 
No, I'm learning them on my current computer(modified IBM 300PL), mainly just to know them. Fortran I'm just learning just to know it. I wish to learn assembly for efficiency.
Assembly was my second language. Like most other "8-bit" micro-computer owners, my first language was the built-in BASIC interpreter. When I moved on to the IBM PC (Tandy 1000, actually), I decided that BASIC was too slow, so I started learning 8086 assembly. I got an assembler from work (the Navy, they didn't care, and they certainly weren't using it!), I think it was MASM 2.0, and I started typing-in the PC Magazine utilities (which were in ASM at first). I used WordStar, in the non-document mode, as my editor.

I'd type the whole thing in, then spend the next couple of days getting it to assemble (had to fix all of my typing errors). Once I did that, I'd go through it line by line and see exactly how it worked, then I'd try to improve it.

When I started working with Windows, I stopped using assembler. Up until then I used mostly assembler with a smattering of C (MS Quick-C), but Windows broke me of my assembler habit, and I went on to C full-time. I'm still kind of nostalgic for 8086 assembler, but not so much that I'd actually contemplate working in it again. I'm afraid my days of assembler are long gone. If I want "low-level", I code in C :)
 
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I'm learning Assembly on an 8086/8088 emulator until my XT is fully operational.
I was using Tasm 3.2, currently I'm looking for a better assembler, or I'll learn to use the debug utility.
 
I'm learning Assembly on an 8086/8088 emulator until my XT is fully operational.
I was using Tasm 3.2, currently I'm looking for a better assembler, or I'll learn to use the debug utility.

Nick,

There's nothing wrong with TASM. I have the books for TASM 3.0, but alas, no software. The place I was working before was tossing a lot of old stuff, so I nabbed all of the books I could. They didn't have the software, having given it all to the hardware folks. I know, weird huh?

I learned my ASM on the MS MASM 2.0, then later MASM 5.0 (the first and only compiler I've paid full-price for. Everything else after that was an upgrade!). I have a copy of MASM 6.0 from my current job, but I really don't use it. I've been playing with NASM (Netwide Assembler), but only half-heartedly. ASM requires too much work for the amount of machine code you get out of it! If you're interested:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/nasm

NASM supports pretty much any OS (even MS-DOS, 16 & 32 bit), as long as it runs on an Intel-compatible processor.
 
Yeah, I have Nasm, I just haven't gotten around to installing it, and won't until I can format my hdd. I'd be using Tasm more, if my computer wasn't giving me so many problems with it. I'll probably give it a try again after the format.
 
Yeah, I have Nasm, I just haven't gotten around to installing it, and won't until I can format my hdd. I'd be using Tasm more, if my computer wasn't giving me so many problems with it. I'll probably give it a try again after the format.

One of the nice things about NASM is the formats it supports. There are other free x86 assemblers out there, including:

Yasm (Yasm Modular Assembler)
http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/

Fasm (Flat Assembler)
http://flatassembler.net/
Like NASM, Fasm has an assembler for 16-bit MS-DOS.

A veritable plethora of free assemblers for any and all to partake in! :)
 
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