On Fri, 20 Jul 2007, gramlich wrote: > Well, I am interested in learning assembly to understand the computer, I > was just thinking that x86 would be the way to go since it's the type of > machine I own. The problem with the x86 is all the legacy crap. Not to mention quite a few flat out bad designs, plus a whole boatload of unnecessary complexity no one uses- now or ever. > > How successful would I be trying to get a ppc processor emulated in > Qemu? I've used it for testing out other distros, but it seems a bit > unstable even when the emulated machine is an x86. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think 68K would be a better first assembler. There are quite a few 68K assemblers kicking about. EASy68k looks nice, but it's windows-only: http://www.monroeccc.edu/ckelly/EASy68K.htm One other thing I'd consider is finding an old PPC or 68K Mac to play on- one can probably be had for cheap if not free. This list is a good place to ask. > > What's your advice? Also, what is this high level assembly I keep > reading about. Is it pseudo code for teaching purposes or is it > legitimate? It's called "C", and I recommend learning it after learning assembly language. C makes a heck of a lot more sense if you know what's going on at the assembler level (*any* assembler)- for example, the pointer/array confusion makes perfect sense when you remember that a pointer is just an address on the assembly level. Brian