Programming $65

[Mike Pitts]

<<Some guys seem to treat this programming info like it's 
reserved for a chosen few.  Generally, the people on this 
list are willing to help, I think they just forget where 
some of us stand in the puddle of knowledge.>>

Sometimes I see fluid dynamics formulea posted here. 
I don't have any fluid dynamics experience, but if I 
wanted to, I'd learn it.  I wouldn't get upset with 
the poster for not taking into account my inexperience 
on the subject.

<<Someone, please, volunteer some clues for the guys that 
are doggedly hanging in, watching for useful stuff.  Books, 
beginner's lists, something.>>

My best advice is to learn the basics first:

What is a bit is versus a byte?  
What is a nibble?
What is indirect addressing?
How does a microprocessor work? 
How do numbering systems work? (binary, hex, octal)
What does fixed point mean? 
What is a stack?
What is serial data versus parallel data?
What is a register?
What is a shift register?
What does it mean to shift a register?
What does it mean to rotate a register?
What are truth tables? 
What do NAND, NOR and XOR mean? 
What is the result of $21 XOR $01?
What is an array? 
What is a multidimensional array? 
How many bytes are in 1K? 
How many bytes are in 1M? 
What is a page as it pertains to programming?
What is a word as it pertains to programming?
What is a vector?
What is an interrupt?
What happens during an interrupt?
What does "Programming $65" really mean. 8-)

Until you can answer these questions and literally thousands 
of other basic programming facts, reverse engineering microcode 
will not be within your domain. 

Think of someone who doesn't know what a camshaft is, or who 
doesn't know what the term "air/fuel ratio" means.  How could 
this person rebuild or tune and engine?

Programming is not reserved for the chosen few.  It is just 
more easily understood by the ones who have learned the skill. 
Only time and effort can result in the attainment of knowledge.  
At least until we have the same technology as they had in the 
movie "The Matrix".  (You know, where Keaneu learned Kung Fu 
in 5 minutes). 

By all means, feel free to ask questions, we are all here to 
help eachother out.  But don't expect to gain the skills required 
to reverse engineer code by asking a few questions on a mailing 
list, at least until you know the basics.

-Mike