[ale] assembly

[Byron A Jeff]

> 
> I don't know if I'm asking the right question so please forgive me. 

Absolutely the right place.

> I
> wanted to study assembly and/or embedding systems.  Does Linux provide a
> good environment for assembly? 

Not really. There are simply too many levels of abstraction to contend with.
Honestly any embedded systems programming with Linux would primarily be done
at the same level as current applications programs (i.e. C, C++, Perl, Python,
Tcl, etc) except the user interfaces would be different (buttons, LCD displays
etc.) for which both user level and kernel level drivers exists.

> Is there some sort of embedded system
> emulator thingy available that I could play around with on my Linux
> machine to learn with.

Your best bet is to work in an environment that warrants the tools. One of
my hobbies is embedded systems development using micro/nano controllers. Linux
is an ideal development environment for such tools and the target machines
pretty much require the use a assembly for high performance and little bloat.

In the October issue of Linux Journal there is an article on a programmer
tool for Microchip PIC 16C84 chips. These are essentially single chip
computers that can be wired up and tested in a half day for less than $20
for the chip and the programmer. Both the assembler and programmer are
available for Linux. It's an ideal testbed for starting embedded systems
development. And as your needs outgrow that particular chip, there is a
large family of other PIC chips with similar architectures, languages, and
speeds to fit most any embedded systems need.

That may be a place to start....

BAJ