Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pur-phy.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:Physics:clt From: clt@pur-phy.UUCP (Carrick Talmadge) Newsgroups: net.micro.cbm Subject: Re: DON'T GET MAE/Merlin review - (nf) Message-ID: <1213@pur-phy.UUCP> Date: Tue, 21-Feb-84 15:23:07 EST Article-I.D.: pur-phy.1213 Posted: Tue Feb 21 15:23:07 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 23-Feb-84 01:31:35 EST References: <5728@uiucdcs.UUCP> Organization: Purdue University Physics Dept. Lines: 74 I did not mean to imply that MAE did not have any of the features I listed for Merlin. It was meant to be more of a recommendation of Merlin than a comparison of the two. I listed what I felt were some problems with MAE and as well the main features of Merlin. I did not want to bore people with details but if I must... 1. Here are two macros to illustrate MAE's problem. !!!mvmem .md (from to bytes) ldx #bytes ...mvmloop lda from-1,x sta to-1,x dex bne ...mvmloop .me !!!switch .md mvmem ($1000 $2000 256) mvmem ($2100 $1000 256) .me The first macro moves a block of length "bytes" from "from" to "to". The second macro attempts to use mvmem twice to switch two 256 byte blocks. When trying to expand the "switch" macro MAE comes up with a duplicate label error from ...mvmloop being expanded twice in switch. ("..." is the MAE convention for labels local to macros. ) I realize this is a simplistic example but I trust you get the point. There are often times when it is con- venient to nest the same macro several times within another macro. 2. I did read the manual. There were operators for high and low bytes of labels but only to store them into memory. My version does not have anything like lda #<$8000 which assembles as lda #$80. 3. I did not mean to imply that MAE did not have include files, I just wanted people to know that this basic necessity was available. I have a program 114 blocks long which fits into the Merlin editor all at once. (assembles to about 7K long) My point was that with Merlin while you do not have to break up large programs, that option is avail- able. MAE may have fixed the problems mentioned in 1 and 2, if so let me know. Even if they have, Merlin is probably a better buy at $50. I suggest that anyone in the market for a professional grade macro-assembler test Merlin. The documentation alone is enough to make jaded C-64 users happy (it comes in a real three ring binder). It is important to remember that assemblers are tools to make programming easier. A programmer should be able to concentrate on the program not on the assembler. Dane Morrison sed@Pucc-k