Link to another tutorial

[whartung]

Stumbled across a link to http://skilldrick.github.com/easy6502/index.html

It's an "ebook" entry level 6502 tutorial running in a web based simulator.

[BigEd]

Great find!

Edit: discussed also on Hacker News

[GARTHWILSON]

Yes, but somebody please tell him the 6502, at hundreds of millions of units per year, is not dead at all, just less visible because it has moved from desktop computers to embedded applications.

[BigEd]

I think you'd have to take it as a self-mocking joke.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

GARTHWILSON wrote:

Yes, but somebody please tell him the 6502, at hundreds of millions of units per year, is not dead at all, just less visible because it has moved from desktop computers to embedded applications.

Garth, you took the words right out of my mouth! The author's cell phone probably has an embedded 65xx of some sort.

• So, why would you want to learn 6502? It’s a dead language isn’t it?

Give me a break! As soon as I saw that statement I quit reading. Geesh!

[BigEd]

BigDumbDinosaur wrote:

As soon as I saw that statement I quit reading. Geesh!

Geesh indeed BDD. You certainly know a thing or two about encouraging people.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

BigEd wrote:

BigDumbDinosaur wrote:

As soon as I saw that statement I quit reading. Geesh!

Geesh indeed BDD. You certainly know a thing or two about encouraging people.

I'm all about encouraging folks to share what they know about the 65xx family, as long that knowledge is factual and relevant. However, anyone who fancies himself/herself as a wordsmith and conveyor of knowledge has to first get the reader's attention in a positive way. In this case, the author got my attention in a negative way by making a false statement to the effect that 6502 assembly language is akin to Latin (which, incidentally, is not a "dead" language—just ask any lawyer), followed by the equally ludicrous question "Then why 6502? Why not a useful assembly language, like x86?". If he had started by saying something to the effect that learning 6502 assembly language will give one a better overall understanding of computers I would have continued reading and probably would have said something positive. Instead, dilettante immediately came to mind and I went on to something else.

Also, as long as I'm up on my soapbox, if someone is going to write about our favorite processor, how about if they do it using correct terminology? Many of these articles completely miss that (q.v., referring to the assembler as a compiler), and to me, convey the notion that the writer doesn't really know the subject. Too much of this stuff is little more than "monkeys on typewriters" output: the author, having acquired a few facts and a bit of understanding, suddenly thinks he's an expert, scribbles his thoughts into an "E-book" (which is lamentably easy to do) and passes off the work as authoritative. How can we expect anyone who is new to the 6502 really understand it if they read articles of this sort?

So yes, Ed, I will continue to discourage half-baked writing and encourage the publication of thoughtful and lucid prose. The Internet is already loaded with dubious content laced with poor grammar and incorrect terminology. Why encourage more of it?

[ElEctric_EyE]

BigDumbDinosaur wrote:

..So yes, Ed, I will continue to discourage half-baked writing and encourage the publication of thoughtful and lucid prose. The Internet is already loaded with dubious content laced with poor grammar and incorrect terminology. Why encourage more of it?

Hmmm......
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Amen!

[BigEd]

BigDumbDinosaur wrote:

So yes, Ed, I will continue to discourage ...

Then I will have to continue to call you on it. I hate to see the stream of negativity that you pour onto this forum. Old hands here have some influence as to the tone of what's acceptable, and I don't always find your approach to criticism acceptable.

It's not enough to be right. You are attacking something of value when you act the way you do, and you should know better.

Your own writing is not above criticism, but that's not the point: it's good that you published your project. The same is true for the efforts of others, especially when they are new or newly brought to our attention. Each one could become a valued member of our community, but if they are greeted with a wall of pedantry that seems less likely.

If you feel grumpy, please keep it to yourself until you feel better.

[whartung]

Just FYI, this is a link to the message I wrote in the thread about the tutorial about 6502.org.

http://www.osnews.com/thread?526044

[BigEd]

Nice one! I see that thread has 39 comments. The reddit post has 450 upvotes and the HN discussion has 78 comments and 171 points. All in a couple of days. There's a lot of interest in this project, and by extension in assembly language programming on the 6502.
Cheers
Ed