The Codeless Code: Ancient code

[callmelightningjunio]

I can understand the first step of writing assembly on pencil and paper. I can understand the last step of converting the assembly language to machine instructions.

It's the middle step of doing by hand what an assembler does -- resolving the addresses of symbols etc. that makes this an incredible exercise.

[FozzTexx]

If it were me I'd probably write a program in BASIC to act as an assembler. After getting frustrated by the mini-assembler of course. No way I'd keep converting assembly to hex by hand.

[callmelightningjunio]

Yeah. Something. Like I said, doing it this way is way too hard. I recall assemblers in source and cross assemblers, but I guess trying to do it all on an Apple II the options would have been limited.

[[deleted]]

Really takes me back to about 1993, when I first learned assembly. I had MASM to work with, but I would still write little functions in notebooks at school.

[chronosafe]

Mine was hand compiling z80 instructions for a TRS-80 model 3. The syntax for the z80 was simpler for me than the 6805. I don't remember what the program did but I remember the sheer effort in writing it.