assmeblers and disassemblers

[Mike Dillon]

I think I would re-phrase "and converts it to something that you and I can
 understand" to "something yuo and I can read" understanding what is going
on is the tough part. The output of the disassembler may or may
not be correct depending on where in the binary you start it and stop it, 
it does not know code from data and will be just as happy trying to 
tell you that  the entry in a data table of "08FF" is LDA $FF. By running 
a few passes of the disassembler and looking at the output and beating 
your head on the wall and spending 10X the time you thought it should take,
understanding will slowly come. After working with a certain proccessor for 
a while you will be able to start seeing things in the binary and dissassembler 
listings at a glance that took so long to see the first time though.

Mike D.


> From diy_efi-owner at esl.eng.ohio-state.edu Thu Sep 24 12:32 CDT 1998
> From: Frederic Breitwieser <frederic.breitwieser at xephic.dynip.com>
> 
> >  Pardon my ignorance, but what are assemblers and disassemblers? I'm new to
> >this list and haven't gone this indepth to fuel injection
> 
> Hey Scott.  In any device (including EFI) that has a microprocessor of some
> sort, there is some code, or a program, that tells the processor what to
> do.  An assembler is a piece of software that allows you to create this
> code, or program, that displays all the commands in an human-like readable
> form.  After you write your code, the assembler "assembles" or converts
> those readable things into "machine code", which is what the microprocessor
> understands.
> 
> A disassembler is the reverse - it takes the machine code which means
> something to the processor, and converts it to something that you and I can
> understand.
> 
> For example.
> 
> LDA $FF
> 
> The above means "load the A register with value $FF (which is 255 to you
> and me).  The assember converts this to:
> 
> 08FF
> 
> The microprocessor likes the latter, people prefer the former.  Hope that
> answered your question without making it more confusing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Frederic Breitwieser
> Homebrew Automotive
> http://www.xephic.dynip.com/hb_auto/hb_auto.html
> 
> "Hey it fit with only 10 whaps with a hammer!"
> 
> 
>