Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An EXCELLENT book for newcomers and as a reference, June 9, 1998
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.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent (Absolute) Beginners Book, January 5, 2000
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book - Only the bare basics to get you started., January 9, 2000
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.
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