Programming
Linux Assembly Language Programming (Prentice Hall Open Source Technology)
Format: Paperback
Author: Bob Neveln
ReleaseDate: 20 July, 2000
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Rating:
Beginners only?
The book is written for an introductory course in assembly language programming, and that's what it does. I'll admit, the title is more than a bit misleading. All the assembly is in intel syntax, no AT&T, which is what is predominantly used in linux programming. However, it is good at what it is meant for. It teaches the reader about assembly language, and how the operating system works. I found it to be an extremely easy introduction, and I believe knowledge I've gained from it will allow me to move on toward more extensive programming. I've used C and assembly for many years on my own, and I found things in here which made much more clear the reasons behind some of the 'fluff' in my open source programming projects.
Have to agree with other reviewers...
. This book is disappointing to say the least.. . No reference on AT&T syntax etc. The information presented is rather disparate & lacks coherency, very confusing & difficult to excogitate. As a neophyte, I would like to be able to access all references in a central location, where I can check the assembly command; see it's syntax; look up the CPU instruction; check it's syntax & see how it relates to the register in question, whilst at the same time I want a brief description of the register; what it's name means & what it does; have a list of system call numbers; their descriptions & functions etc. Kernel internals were briefly discussed but left much wanting. Free documentation served me much better. If you know what you want it's all availible online.
No SSE
However if you are looking for floating point or SSE and SSE2 related material then I recommend going to Intels web site and downloading the material. Not a bad book for an introduction to linux assemly. All in all not a bad book, but it was kinda skimpy. Not enough meat to satisfy the taste buds.
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