I am now just starting to learn 6502 programming.. here is a real dumb question...but I cannot find an answer.

Is it better to write 6502 code on a 6502 computer that has an assembler (atari 130xe) or a windows based PC with an assembler program?.. or does it matter?

Thanks

> Is it better to write 6502 code on a 6502 computer that has an
> assembler (atari 130xe) or a windows based PC with an assembler
> program?.. or does it matter?

For a small program, 6502 desktop computers may be fine; but most of them don't have the memory and storage resources to run a nice macro assembler for programs of much length and complexity. The source code for one of my 6502 projects at work around 1990 was 277 kilobytes, although the object code output was about 24K if I remember correctly. (The Intel Hex code for the EPROM programmer was around 50K.) The list code with all the macros expanded out and the label table was a couple of megabytes.

I don't use Windoze for anything that doesn't need it, and an assembler definitely does not. I use Multi-Edit 7.0, a really nice programmer's text editor that allows me to see 132 columns and up to 60 lines at once on the hi-res monitor. This allows me to really see what I'm doing, and write out comments to the right of my code that are detailed enough that they don't leave me guessing when I come back later to do updates or fix a bug that showed up months after the code was written. Then I use Cross-32 from Universal Cross Assemblers for the actual assembly process. Both run on my PC under DOS. I've also used 2500AD's assembler, again under DOS. Both are very good assemblers, although with a few differences.

Actually I have two virtually identical Pentium computers. I only use Windoze on this one that has internet access and is therefore susceptible to virii (which I have caught-- twice). Most of my important work is on the other one which I only use DOS on. The DOS one is at least ten times as fast as the Windoze one, even though the hardware is virtually identical. Most of my software is point-and-click anyway, so I seldom see the DOS prompt. The hypertext links in the "Help", going from one file to another, etc. is instant in DOS, with no perceivable delay. Windows always keeps me waiting. Multi-Edit lets you have dozens of files open at once, which is nice when you have INCLude files, want to copy between files, have other documentation files, etc., and have them all open at once, tiled, layered, or windowed however you want.

Garth

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http://WilsonMinesCo.com/ lots of 6502 resources
The "second front page" is http://wilsonminesco.com/links.html .
What's an additional VIA among friends, anyhow?

Do you actually have 6502 hardware? When I was first starting to learn 6502 programming (wayyyy back in 1983) I did it on an Atari 400 w/ 48K upgrade and 810 disk drive. The nice thing about using the computer was that I could see what my program did, even if it was only putting text on the screen.

now the downside is that besides learning 6502, I also had to learn how the Atari worked. With a SBC, like most folks use here (6502, 32K RAM, 32K ROM, I/O, LCD etc....) getting the hardware to DO something is a bit easier.

Personal preference? I'd go with the Atari....but I happen to love the ol Atari 8-bits.

Tony