Re: A85: starting out


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Re: A85: starting out



     From: John Woo <jwoo@ibm.net>

     Hello all.
     I am very interested in starting assembly programming. I would like
     to
     know how most of you guys got started. Currently, I am learning
     assembler for the PC. (Assembler is my first programming language I
     am
     learning.) But I am not all that skilled, I am still in the
     beginning
     stages of learning assembler. I guess you can say I am nearly a
     complete
     beginner to programming.
         How would I need to start out? Would it better if I finished
     learning assembler for the PC, then start out on assembly language
     for
     the Z80, or is it possible to learn both at the same time? I need
     some
     help on which direction I should set out and begin.
         Thanks.

     ------------------------------


Assembler is by far the most difficult language to program in, short of
trying to write in machine language.  If you just starting out, I
recommend learning a high level language like BASIC, Pascal or C.  There
isn't much in the way of HLL compilers for the TI (but I think someone
wrote a HLL complier call HAL? but someone will have to correct me on
that).  Assembly on a Z80 is signifantly easier that Assembly on a
80x86.  If you must start with an assembler language then start with the
Z80 and I would suggest starting with the ZShell standard.  I'm not
saying that it's better then other shells but it's easier to use the
more advanced features of other shells (features like: relocation, and
libraries) when you understand how we did things in the past.

Someone offers a ZShell online programming course.  There is a like to
it from TICALC.ORG.
and BTW the old BASIC (Not QBasic or visual Basic) it about the closest
HLL to assembler if you looking to go in that direction right away.

Daniel
s1274061@uottawa.ca


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