How to learn assembely?

[mister_e]

Ken, you can also download the French tutorial from Bigonoff. Outdated, but nice to begin.

Many good old assembler tutorial books from Microchip (can't tell if there's still available), also any of Square 1 are nice (PIC'n up the Pace, Easy PIC'n etc etc)

[lerameur]

well I have been told that picbasic is a lot slower and have more overhead (memory space) then assembly for sure, but also C. Would C be better to learn if performance is a goal.

k

[skimask]

well I have been told that picbasic is a lot slower and have more overhead (memory space) then assembly for sure, but also C. Would C be better to learn if performance is a goal.

k

Look at a PBP's compiled/assembled program, then take a look at that same PBP source code. You'll see that they are very similar in size and function.
I have found that there is very little overhead when dealing with PBP and as far as speed goes, that goes with overhead. If your functions in PBP are complex, then so will the final assembly code. That goes for any language. Even if you're programming in straight assembly. If you've got something complicated to do, then it's going to take complicated steps to get complicated work done.

Now then, if this person that told you that PBP was slower and bloated with overhead, but this person was actually talking about the BasicStamp (and it's happened many times before), then yes, the BasicStamp is a lot slower, because it is an interpreted language, and does have a lot of memory and CPU cycle overhead because it is interpreted on the fly. PBP is pre-compiled before being burned into the chip.

It's a lot like learning how to do something the first time.
Either you can read a book and memorize each step ahead of time so you can do the task without stopping (PBP)......or you can put the book 20ft away from you on the other side of the room and refer to it for each step of the task (BasicStamp).

And as far as learning C goes....to each their own. I don't see (C ) any advantage in using C with the PICs, maybe the larger dsPICs and maybe the 24F series, but not in the 10F/12F/16F/18F range. A program written for PBP and a similar functioning program written in C will most likely compile down to the same functionality, speed, code size (all other things being equal), and probably the exact same code itself.

[mister_e]

C is usually better seen in the industry as a 'standard language'. Basic have the bad reputation to be a beginner, sloppy, foo-foo, and/or dead language.

Well, it's what we already heard... but hey! we all know it's pure crap. When you're able to convict those C converted, your half done.

The power of any compiler is down to the guy(girl, human, alien) back to the keyboard. Get the job done, fast and bugfree, and that's it. There's a huge a s s kicking session to do for that in the market.

at the end... it's still in assembler

I know many business boss refuse to hire people just because they don't know about C, and MPLAB tools (debugger, simulation tools and all these stuff i don't use)... life is cruel. I wouldn't have a job right now. Don't give up and show'em what's your capable of!

Don't give up!

[mvs_sarma]

Hi,
whether Basic or C or any other high level language-- you can see later--
i feel better you do some funda in assy language for gaining command over the chip and its intricacies.

after you fiish implementing few projects, you try to go foe bulk programming-- then you can start pacticing whichever HLL you like- cuz whetther apple orange, pineapple, leamon--it is taste for it and for example,

I try to argue in favorof a lanfguage, that i have been practicing and always i try try to put plus points of that-- but natural.

but you better have few projects developed in assy language -- it helps you

[amindzo]

Hi, i have done alot of project in picbasic but i found that it has some problem,for example i found that in conditional instruction (if... then..),intrupt doesn't work.
i wrote a program to read the keyboard(4*4) with conditonal instruction but RB0 interrupt didin't work but when i used RB0 interrupt in other programs without conditional instructions it worked ver well.
so i think the best langauge is assembly.it's faster. conversion of the C or Pic basic to assembely or hex file is not optimal. in some project speed is very important so the best choice is assembly.

[mvs_sarma]

Hi, i have done alot of project in picbasic but i found that it has some problem,for example i found that in conditional instruction (if... then..),intrupt doesn't work.
i wrote a program to read the keyboard(4*4) with conditonal instruction but RB0 interrupt didin't work but when i used RB0 interrupt in other programs without conditional instructions it worked ver well.
so i think the best langauge is assembly.it's faster. conversion of the C or Pic basic to assembely or hex file is not optimal. in some project speed is very important so the best choice is assembly.

I admit that I am no expert in these languages, but , to my little knowledge, any program written in HLL has to be compiled and you know what happens if you compile such a file. it looks into a pre wriitten code and uses a judicious part of the code available there. Perhpas over a period these HLLs are revised to cover difficiencies. --that is the reason you find that a particular suppliers Basic otr 'C' is better than others etc,

thus ifeel there is nothing wrong, ifct it is better to write(be able to write) in assy language. aprogram written by a skilled writer in assy is much better than a compiled Basic or C-- of course my personal feeling.