Re: setup needed for PowerPC assembler programming
Here's some helpful PowerPC references:
"Optimizing PowerPC Code" by Gary Kacmarcik
It's rather out of date by now, and doesn't cover today's powerpc
models, but it does a real good job of teaching the assembly code, and
some of what you need to make the code as efficient as possible.
The book is too old to cover AltiVec though.
"PowerPC Compiler Writer's Guide"
You can get it in PDF form at:
http://www-3.ibm.com/chips/techlib/techlib.nsf/techdocs/852569B20050FF7785256996007558C6
and in HTML form at:
http://the.wall.riscom.net/books/proc/ppc/cwg/cover.html
"Hacker's Delight" by Henry S. Warren
This book was rather unfortunately labeled as being about computer
security by the publisher, so you won't find it where you would expect
it in the bookstore. It's full of little snippets of assembly that get
lots of work done in as little time as possible. I haven't read it yet
though.
My article "ARM Assembly Code Optimization?" at Kuro5hin, while not
being about the PowerPC, nevertheless has some good followup comments by
the readers on a variety of microprocessors:
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/12/14/94342/446
As for me, what I'd like is to find a page that explains the GAS'
register syntax. GAS will do some manner of automatic register
asssignment for you, so it is in some sense an optimizing assembler.
But I've never been able to make sense of how it works. I have read the
info manual on it. It still leaves me clueless.
Besides using GAS, you can also use inline assembler in C or C++ code
with gcc. That's probably the best way to get started, rather than
writing entire assembly source files from scratch.
Regards,
Michael D. Crawford
GoingWare Inc. - Expert Software Development and Consulting
http://www.goingware.com/
crawford@goingware.com
Tilting at Windmills for a Better Tomorrow.
Reply to: