programming question

Fri Nov 14 07:33:41 EST 2008

Thanks to everyone for the help.  I should have enough to chew on for quite 
a while.

I am an old vet at os conversions for various assemblers so I expect that 
communicating with the operating system and syntax for writing instructions 
will change from what I am familiar with. .

I agree with most of what was said about AOA (art of assembler) and HLA 
(high level assembler).  My only additional comment is that there is good 
basic information about a number of aspects of computer hardware and if I 
remember correctly, there is even some information about basic communication 
with linux though I don't remember that for sure..

Thanks again to all of you for helping me with this and other of my 
questions.

The rest of this note sounds a lot like a resume so you can skip it if you 
prefer.

One person asked what kind of stuff I have written so here is a quick 
overview of my carreer.  Don't worry, I have nothing to sell because I give 
it all away.

I first learned assembler language on IBM mainframes but never did much 
other than school related projects though I did a rewrite of our braille 
program when IBM added a spooler to the operating system.

I have been working for the state of Ohio as a programmer for more than 30 
years.  During this time, I have worn a few different hats.  I wrote an 
extension to a proprietary os on intelligent terminals using 8080 assembler, 
back in the late 70's.  I also worked professionally in assembler language 
on Unisys mainframes as a systems programmer for almost 30 years.  My first 
and second assembler language sub-routines which I wrote for that system 
back in 1977 are still in use today though that system is soon going to be 
phased out.  I managed a network of up to 5,000 terminals up to the middle 
90's.  I also managed the user-written assembler code that we had in the 
communications system up to just over three years ago.  Now, I act more like 
a computer operator than a programmer.  I watch our test batch schedules and 
fix simple problems when programs don't run right and call someone else to 
fix the others.

On a parallel track, I wrote an application for accessing, updating and 
sorting data before spreadsheets and databases were common and sold them to 
a few small businesses locally back in the 80's.  This was in the very early 
days of DOS.  Back then, the Microsoft assembler didn't work right in fairly 
significant areas of the documented capabilities.  One example of this is 
that you couldn't use local labels in macros.

Outside of work, I wrote my own speech program for HDOS (Heath DOS)and CP/M 
on 8080/z80 processors in the early 80's.  This was all back before the days 
of the PC.  Then I converted some of these projects to 8086 assembler when 
the PC showed up.  I started writing cute little programs that perform small 
functions that I used together to improve the capability of DOS to support 
batch files and started giving these programs away with the source code in 
the late 80's.In the last 5 years, I have learned to write assembler 
language programs for windows, both console and GUI.  I haven't written many 
GUI programs from scratch but I have made some easier to use with speech and 
substantially modified others to add functionality.  For example, I added 
recursive directory searching and random play capability to a multimedia 
player.

I am very excited about being able to learn to use linux that way.  Learning 
new stuff feels good.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tyler Littlefield" <tyler at tysdomain.com>
To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: programming question

> with most,t here's not even an equiv. dos's write is totally different 
> from linux's write, as far as I can remember.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Tyler Littlefield
> email: tyler at tysdomain.com
> web: tysdomain-com
> Visit for quality software and web design.
> skype: st8amnd2005
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Al Sten-Clanton" <Albert.E.Sten_Clanton at verizon.net>
> To: "'Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.'" 
> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 3:55 PM
> Subject: RE: programming question
>
>
>> "you can't just convert the interupts by switching the flags. the system
>> calls are way different."
>>
>> Yes.  I meant to suggest some equivalency, not that one wouldn't have to
>> change the calls.  Not saying I was right, only that that's what I meant.
>>
>> Al
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca 
>> [mailto:speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca]
>> On Behalf Of Tyler Littlefield
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:41 PM
>> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>> Subject: Re: programming question
>>
>> you can't just convert the interupts by switching the flags. the system
>> calls are way different.
>> And no prob.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Tyler Littlefield
>> email: tyler at tysdomain.com
>> web: tysdomain-com
>> Visit for quality software and web design.
>> skype: st8amnd2005
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Al Sten-Clanton" <Albert.E.Sten_Clanton at verizon.net>
>> To: "'Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.'"
>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:51 AM
>> Subject: RE: programming question
>>
>>
>>> I'm in the early stages of learning assembly on my Linux box.  Feel free
>>> to
>>> correct me, of course, since I'm a beginner on my Linux box and never 
>>> did
>>> any assembly programming in DOS.  My understanding is that using
>>>
>>> Int 0x80
>>>
>>> With the appropriate number in the EAX register (and sometimes things in
>>> other registers) is equivalent to the DOS interrupt routines.
>>>
>>> Also, Tyler, thanks for the links.  I rely on two assembly books,
>>> "Assembly
>>> Language Step-by-Step: Programming with DOS and Linux, Second Edition," 
>>> by
>>> Jeff Duntemann, and "Professional Assembly Language," by Richard Blum. 
>>> I
>>> now mostly use Blum's book, because it covers more instructions and
>>> because
>>> it uses the GNU assembler instead of NASM.  (I much prefer the AT&T 
>>> syntax
>>> to Intel's.) I have these books by way of a farily expensive online
>>> service,
>>> though, and don't think there's a cost-free version of either.  (I do
>>> believe there's at least a separate electronic version of Blum's book 
>>> that
>>> you can buy.) Blum's book sometimes contains poor explanations, so I 
>>> hope
>>> I
>>> may get some additional help from one or more of the links.
>>>
>>> Al
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca
>>> [mailto:speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca]
>>> On Behalf Of Kerry Hoath
>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:05 AM
>>> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>>> Subject: Re: programming question
>>>
>>> Regarding assembler under Linux; there are a few things you should know.
>>> firstly any programs you wrote in dos would need to be completely
>>> rewritten,
>>>
>>> as Linux does not have a series of interrupt routines like dos;
>>> so you can't call int 10h, int21h etc.
>>> also note that Linux's memory model is flat; and does not use segment
>>> registers in the way 08x86 assembler does.
>>>
>>> there are assemblers under Linux, you want the manpages for as86 and 
>>> nasm,
>>> note however that the syntax differs for Linux from dos syntax.
>>>
>>> Lame and flac have assembler code if you want to take a look at some.
>>> Regards, Kerry.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Bruce Noblick" <brunobrook at columbus.rr.com>
>>> To: "speakup info" <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 10:10 AM
>>> Subject: programming question
>>>
>>>
>>>>A few years ago, I took a unix course.  We connected to a linux box to 
>>>>do
>>>>most of our work.  During that class I found some man pages on the 
>>>>subject
>>>>I am going to ask about now.  I remember being very qhrilled with this
>>>>information.  Now that I have my own linux box, I can't find these man
>>>>pages on it.  I am looking for information on assembler language
>>>>programming.  I have programs that I have written for DOS and Windows 
>>>>that
>>>>I would like to port to linux and they are written in Assembler 
>>>>language.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> Bruce Noblick
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  Those who revered the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened
>>>> attentively. A memory book was prepared before Him in which were 
>>>> recorded
>>>> the names of those who respected the Lord and honored His name.
>>>>
>>>>  "They will belong to Me," says the Lord who rules over all, "in the 
>>>> day
>>>> when I prepare My own special property. I will spare them as a man 
>>>> spares
>>>> his son who serves him."
>>>>
>>>> Malachi 3:16-17
>>>>
>>>> See my web page for contact info and a lot more.
>>>> Here is the address.
>>>> HTTP://HOME.COLUMBUS.RR.COM/bnoblick
>>>> If the above line does not act like a link, try cutting and pasting it 
>>>> to
>>>> your browser.
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
>>>> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
>>> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>
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>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
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>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
>> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
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>> 12:00 AM
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>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
>> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
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