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From: edwatkeys@pro-sol.cts.com (Ed Watkeys)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: which assembler to get
Message-ID: <1991May28.021618.12235@crash.cts.com>
Date: 28 May 91 02:16:18 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 65

In-Reply-To: message from shrinkit@Apple.COM

Well, to answer Andy's question (what makes a better local label system
better)...

Like I said before, I use both ORCA/M and Merlin, and know both of the
local label setups.  I think that ORCA/M's is better.  I'll tell you why...

Under Merlin's system, local labels are local to all source since the last
"real" label.  Like this...

  ldy #$00
loop lda ($00),y
  beq :done
  jsr cout
  iny
  bne loop
:done rts

duh asc 'Print Me'
:blah asc 'Hello'

Okay, the beg can 'see' :done because it is defined after the most recent
'global'.  It can not see :blah, however.  To me this is a problem.  Hust
say I wanted duh to be seen by all the source, but I wanted :blah local. 
In the above example, :blah is not local to the executable stuff above. 
With ORCA/M, things are easier...

PUT_CSTR START
  LDY #$00
  BEQ DONE
  JSR COUT
  INY
  BNE LOOP
DONE RTS

DUH ENTRY
  DC C'PRINT ME'
BLAH
     ^- C'HELLO' SHOULD BE THERE...
  END

Anyway, I just think that the ORCA/M source code allows the ML programmer
to convert his/her algorithms to code in a way more faithful to high level
languages.  It almost forces programmers to write better code, because it
encourages them to encapsulate everything into a single START...END
segment.  My ORCA/M stuff looks like works of art, while my MErlin stuff is
a mess.  Like I said before, ORCA/M is good for stuff you have to
*understand* a week or so from now.  I know thamy lousy programs in Merlin
are my fault, but ORCA/M gives you tools to control yourself...  If you
really want to, you can put everything in one segment, so you can have it
either way.

One plus on Merlin's side, however: all this stuff can get complicated in
ORCA/M, while Merlin is straightforward to use.  Merlin's manual isn't that
great for new users (it assumes a lot...), while ORCA/M's goes to great
lengths to tell you EVERYTHING about the system in about three different
ways.


Ed Watkeys III

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