Choosing and Using an Assembler
                -------------------------------


Don't use the K-Seka assembler!
-------------------------------

It's dead and buried. Get a life, get a real assembler. Hisoft Devpac
is probably the best all-round assembler, although I use ArgAsm
which is astonishingly fast. The same goes for hacked versions of
Seka.

Is it any coincidence that almost every piece of really bad
code I see is written with Seka? No, I don't think so :-)

When buying an assembler check the following:

1. That it handles standard CBM style include files without
alteration.

2. That it allows multiple sections

3. That it can create both executable and linkable code

4. 68020+ support (especially if you want to program for A1200,
writing A1200 code without 68020 instructions is real stupid!)

Devpac 3.0 is probably the best all-round assembler at the moment.
People on a tighter budget could do worse than look at the
public domain A68K (It's much better than Seka!). I'd suggest
using Cygnus Ed as your Text Editor, or Turbo Text.


Devpac optimise mode produces crap code?
----------------------------------------

If you're using Devpac and have found that the OPT o+ flag produces
crap code, then you need to add the option o3-. I can't remember
what this option does, my Devpac 3 manual is at the office.


Argasm produces crap code, whatever happens
-------------------------------------------

First, Argasm (unlike Devpac) from the Command Line or if called from
Arexx using Cygnus Ed (my prefered system) defaults to writing linkable
code, so you need to add

        opt	l-		(disable linkable code)

If you find that your Argasm executables fail then check you haven't
got any BSR's across sections! Argasm seems to allow this, but of
course the code doesn't work. Jez San from Argonaut software who
publish ArgAsm says it's not a bug, but a feature of the linker...

Yeah right Jez...

But Argasm is *fast*, and it produces non-working code
*faster* than any other assembler :-)

Argonaut have abandoned ArgAsm so the last version (1.09d) is the
last. There will be no more, and it doesn't support 68020+
instructions, so I've stopped using it now.


Using Arexx with Cygnus Ed
--------------------------

Cygnus Ed is a wonderful system: Included in the the utils/ced
directory are a few macros I wrote that may help you configure
your assembler to run in CED.

To install:

1. Make sure Rexxmast is running and you have copied the macros
to your REXX: directory (make a sys:rexx directory rather than
assigning REXX: to S:)

2. Add the line

ced -r

to your s:user-startup. Copy the CygnusEd Activator (on Cygnus
Ed V2.1x distribution disk) as C:ed, yes, that's right. Right
over the top of the abysmal Commodore editor!! You lose 200Kb of
fastram doing this, but believe me, it's worth it. Whenever you
need to use Cygnus Ed, either type ed filename and it loads
in a flash, or just press Right-ALT/Right-Shift/Return to open
a new CED session.

The CygnusEd Activator is public domain, and is in the utils
directory of this archive.

3. Install the commands on the keys you want to use (under the
special menu).

I currently have mine set up:

F1 - devpac.ced      - This calls Devpac to assemble the current file.
                       Output is file ram:test, errors to ram:errors

F2 - argasm.ced      - Same, but for Argasm


F3 - errors.ced      - Open and close the error window. The error
                       window is not editable.

F10 - ram:Test       - Execute the code!


Other keys are free for C, TeX or whatever else you want to use...