Re: A86: Two questions
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Re: A86: Two questions
>On the topic of "compilers", I've always wondered why no one has ever
>really thought of this approach (AFIK) to writing a "real" ASM compiler
>for the 86.
>
>Remember the old ASM compiler on the 85? You had to type in all those
>memory addresses backwards and all that. Why doesn't someone make a
>program that converts from "normal" ASM to what AsmComp( would
>recognize. I realize making a full fledged parsing engine in ASM is
>rather difficult, but obviously a helluva lot easier to do than writing
>a FULL FLEDGED compiler (I had a conversation/argument with someone on
>IRC about this, and his idea was to have an editor, and you'd have to
>select keywords via a menu, etc. The "compiled" programs would still
>have to be run via an engine).
I never had an 85, but I've been thinking about writing an assembler for
quite a while. I've done some calculations, and I think I could do a pretty
good one in under 10K (that estimate is probably a little too big, but I've
never written an assembler before). The only problems I can see are: What
if a program you write hangs the calc? Then you lose everything. The other
thing is that it's kind of hard to type anything on the calc. But I think
I'll probably go ahead and do it anyway, as these problems aren't _that_
bad. Also, I wouldn't make something that AsmComp would recognize, I'd just
go directly to a compiled asm program. That would make for a smaller
assembler, for one.
I just got a really cool book on writing compilers and interpreters, so
I've been wanting to try making one. And a Z80 assembler wouldn't be too hard.
BTW, an "ASM compiler" is called an assembler. :)
--Joshua
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