Ok, got my first pick of a decent PDP-11 book for you guys.
Code:
"[B]MACHINE AND ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING OF THE PDP-11[/B]" Second Edition - Arthur Gill
Prentice Hall
ISBN 0-13-541888-7
Hard cover 7x10
185 short pages plus Appendices and an Index.
The Pros:
This is targeted for programmers already
experienced in high level languages, who may not have ever programmed in assembly or machine code before on any machine.
- It includes a concise review of Data Types as pertain to the PDP-11
- A very nice treatment of the instruction set, opcodes, syntax, addressing modes
- It's very "practical" pointing out the customary PDP-11 novice mistakes often seen
- Has example program segments with an opcode analysis and commentary
The Cons:
It's written by a Berkeley type guy... so it includes the customary "invented" abbreviations and notation that never caught on anywhere else.
Fortunately, it doesn't get in the way too much, and the result is still way above the other's I've reviewed for you so far.
Warning:
Be certain to get
ONLY the
Second Edition. The First apparently has a few errors that will doubtless drive the student NUTZ!
Summary:
I like it stylistically. I read through to chapter 6 in an hour. [not skimmed] It reads linearly like a novel, but has an index to help you later when you need to investigate specific questions.
It's not tiresome or boring to read. On the contrary - it contains many "human" hints and comments that make the topic quickly comfortable.
The main thing it offers is an appreciation of the "Opcode" architecture of the machine. This will have you writing and converting programs to code immediately.
I'll finish it later to be sure, but already I can recommend it based on what I've seen.
