Customer Reviews

Assembly Language Step-By-Step

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Out of the 5 assembly books I own (beginner to advanced), this is one of the better ones. Duntemann's book is EXCELLENT. I read over my copy of Mastering Turbo Assembler and still I wasn't getting it. I read over Using Assembly Language and had the same problem. Too many authors just mention things and leave it at that figuring you already know what they are talking about. This book is not like that. He starts out at the foundation of the computer, at the CPU. He doesn't jump into programming, but rather, explains how computers work, about hex, decimal, how the processor works with code, and so on. It is actually interesting because that's exactly what assembly language is, right down to the metal. Then he takes it one command at a time and explains it very well. His examples are clear and he explains how all of it works. I was having trouble with a couple commands and couldn't find help in several other books. After I read Jeff's book, all those commands made perfect sense. He doesn't teach EVERY assembly language function, but he gives you an EXCELLENT foundation, one that is mandatory to learn assembly. In other books I've owned the authors put stories in there they try to make fit with the lessons, but they never make sense. At the beginning of some chapters, he does the same. His story makes sense, but once you read the following part on assembly, you can put the two together and understand just how things work. A perfect example is how the stack operates. If you are a complete beginner to assembly, someone who hasn't used it in a while, or need a general reference, I couldn't recommend any book more than this. Jeff is truly an excellent teacher. Keep in mind this book covers the 8086/8088 (and briefly the 286-486), so if you plan to move on, you MUST have base knowledge. You can't program the 486 (or such) without knowing the 8086/8088. So don't take that like "oh no, I'll only learn the old stale PC." You have to learn to walk before you can run. Overall, I would recommend this book! to ANYBODY wanting to learn assembly language. It lives up to its name.

That's it, if you already know Assembler even somewhat do NOT get this book! You'll be dissapointed. But if you have no idea what Assembler or Machine Language is (e.g. what is a register or code segment?) DO get get this book! This book is good quick read and review for students to read before entering a Assembly/Machine Orginzation class in college. It provides you a excellent overview of what you will be getting into. In my own experience I read it before I started class, it has helped me tremendously in class because I didn't have to struggle with the basic concepts.

This book is great. It is a book that will take you step by step to get you started. Not like those other begginers books that assume that you know how the computer works, this one will take you from the basic inner workings of a computer to a level where you can start creating very basic programs. From this book, you can go out and get a normal beginners book and be able to understand what you are trying to learn.

I was very impressed with the way that the author started his book by introducing those who didn't know them to the bare basics of computer hardware and how they work. I enjoyed it thoroughly and it helped me a great deal in getting through the beginner level of programming this language

Jeff Duntemann's book upon Assembly language is AWESOME. I was a beginner with Assembly, accually before I read this book I haven't seen ONE DROP of Assembly code! I had no idea how the language worked, or what some of the code looked like.

Someone had told me to get this book, and getting this book was my BEST choice on my programming. This book got me off to an excellent start on understanding Assembly. Duntemann not only explains how the code works, what it does, and how it functions, but he also includes some humorous stories.

This book is not for intermediate or advanced Assembly programmers, but for beginners. Duntemann also gives a list of recommended books for futher study of Assembly.

I really enjoyed this book, and the author has a great writing style that makes the content accessible to everyone. There are a few things you need to consider before buying this book. First, it was written in the late 80's, so the technology described in the book has long since become obsolete. The author considers the 486 the best processor on the market, but we've come a long way since the 486. It's not as bad as it sounds though, since many of the concepts apply to todays computers and CPU's, and may be a good groundwork to building an understanding of todays complicated computers.
Also, this book probably will -not- teach you assembly language. In fact the title is a little misleading. What this book does do is teach you the inside and outs of how your CPU and memory work, which is almost mandatory if your going to program in assembly language.
You will need to read other books to fully learn assembly language, but this was a great book to start with.

I wore this book out. I'll probably buy another just to have a good copy. No doubt the best assembly language book for absolute beginners. Tom Swan's book is the next logical step. I wish Jeff Duntemann, Tom Swan, and Michael Abrash would get together and write a nice great big fat book for Turbo Assembler 5.0 that includes extensive coverage of object oriented assembly, the debugger and Windows Assembly Language programming. That would be the ultimate book for those of us that just LOVE pain!

This book is really good value for people who, like me, know how to use a computer and feel like learning more about the way it works. It's quite easy to understand it, even if you don't know how to program at all. I guess it may be boring for expert users, but it's a great start for newbies. If you would like to understand a bit more about the computer itself, this is the place to begin.

This book is an EXCELLENT starter book, teaching the foundation of assembly - however, that's all. It's a great jumping off point, and is VERY well written - plus, it's fun to read. I suggest buying this book along with a technical manual for assembly, and transitioning from one to the other.

What can I say, this book starts at just beyond turning the computer on. It does it with a humurous style that makes learning this sometimes frustrating art a joy. I consider myself a seasoned assembler and I still come back to this book because of the writer's style. If you want to learn assembler from square one, well buy it now.