[Coco] Learning assembly for the Color Computer

[Bill Pierce]

Dave & Robert, yes, EDTASM is the best "beginner's" package. It's where I got my feet wet. I started with the cart, then bought "Disk EDTASM". I actually liked the cart better. I searched and found the patches to make "Disk Patched EDTASM" (Rainbow?) from the cart image and used it instead of the "official" disk version. The RS disk version had too many restrictions in how it was loaded (seperate Edtasm & ZBug), where the patched version was independant as Edtasm & zbug were kept together. If I just needed zbug for disassembling, then I used the disk version. I hated Tandy's "DOS" system for the disk package.

 

 


Bill Pierce
"Charlie stole the handle, and the train it won't stop going, no way to slow down!" - Ian Anderson - Jethro Tull

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Philipsen <dave at davebiz.com>
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Thu, Apr 14, 2016 6:41 pm
Subject: Re: [Coco] Learning assembly for the Color Computer

I definitely agree with you on that, Robert.  I started out on the EDTASM+ program pak and it was definitely very handy for a beginner.  It was nice to set breakpoints and examine registers, etc.  Right now because I already have a Windows/DOS/Linux based cross assembler I wouldn't really go back to EDTASM but it was definitely the best for a starting point.DaveOn 4/14/2016 3:56 PM, Robert Gault wrote:> I'll add a book to Bill's list. It may or may not be on the Internet > for download.>> "6809 Assembly Language Programming" by Lance A. Leventhal, > Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1981, ISBN 0-931988-35-7>> The platform on which you learn programming will make all the > difference in the world. It will most likely be either a real Coco or > an emulator, but the two real choices are for use under Basic or OS-9.> When you program for Basic, you have essentially no ability to easily > interact with the hardware unless you carefully read the Unravelled > series to find useful access points in the ROMs. Of course other books > written for programming on the Coco will tell you about those access > points.> When you program for OS-9 (NitrOS-9), it is easy to access all the > hardware as OS-9 include drivers that provide I/O to the screen, disk, > tape, printer, etc. The catch is that it is a much steeper learning > curve required to learn to use OS-9 in addition to learning assembly > language. :)>> In short, you will need to do more or less the same thing you did to > learn writing programs for Basic on the Coco. Write the simplest and > shortest program you can think of, probably copying one you got from a > magazine or book. Do that until it becomes second nature.> Eventually you will remember the structure required for ml programming > and can easily lookup the op-codes needed. Continue and you will > remember the codes themselves. They are all based on the limited > number of registers contained in the 6809 and 6309 cpu.>> Personally, I think using Disk EDTASM to learn programming for use > with the Basic ROMs is the best route for a beginner. That's because > the package contains an editor/assembler for writing and compiling > code as well as Zbug. Zbug gives you direct access to memory where you > can read the ROM code and test your own code. Zbug permits > step-by-step progress through your code while watching what happens to > the registers and memory.>> Robert>>-- Coco mailing listCoco at maltedmedia.comhttps://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco