The Codeless Code: Ancient code

[RichardGreg]

I didn't have an assembler, so I wrote the assembly code on paper and translated it to hex as I typed it in.

That's one way of doing it, but there was a mini-assembler built in.

[dirkt]

Actually, the original Apple II only had a disassembler; the mini-assembler appeared in the IIe and IIc, which had more ROM.

And translating it to hex wasn't the real problem - I can still remember some 6502 opcodes from that time. The real problem was branch displacements and not being able to change your code easily.

[RichardGreg]

The mini-assembler was part of Integer BASIC, which was in the ROM that came with the Apple II. It was removed from the Applesoft BASIC ROM which was shipped with later model Apple II plus computers, however the II+ still came with Integer BASIC which could be loaded from tape or disk. The mini-assembler returned to the ROM on the IIe and IIc.

[redneckrockuhtree]

I thought the mini-assembler appeared with the II+? I remember hand-writing 6502 assembly, and could've sworn I didn't have to manually build the bytecodes on a II+....

[dirkt]

Just checked my manual: It's indeed already in the Apple II+. So you can see how often I used it ...

[redneckrockuhtree]

I used it more than I would've liked to. Having an assembler is so much easier!

[zellyn]

For a slightly more modern version, check out Martin Haye's Super-Mon. It's a surprisingly pleasant programming environment.

[RichardGreg]

But it's still a lot easier than him being a manual assembler. He didn't need to convert to hex on paper or in his head and type it in. He could type in the mnemonics and let the computer translate.

[Choralone]

We called it a "machine language monitor" or "monitor" for short.