Intelligent Disassemblers

Not one, but two!  In this issue of AAL you find two ads for intelligent disassemblers.  Dr. Robert F. Zant, of Decision Systems, and Bob Kovacs, of RAK-WARE, have each written one.  After all these years, two of them pop up in the same week!

Dr. Zant's reads a binary file and writes a text file which can be EXECed into either the S-C ASSEMBLER II Version 4.0 or the Apple assembler from the DOS Tool Kit.  He writes an intermediate text file during pass one of the disassembly, and then reads it back in, formats it for the desired assembler, and writes it back out.  His disassembler is a combination of machine language code and Applesoft code; you have to have Applesoft in ROM and at least 32K RAM.  He includes a couple of handy utility programs on the diskette.

Bob Kovac's disassembler works from a binary program already in memory.  Both passes are performed in memory, and then the text file is written.  Since everything is done in memory, it is very fast.  The resulting text file is EXECed into the S-C ASSEMBLER II Version 4.0.

Both disassemblers create labels for all branch addresses inside the block being disassembled.  Bob Kovac's version also makes labels for all external branch addresses, putting .EQ lines at the beginning to define them.  The RAK-WARE version also make symbols for all page-zero references.  They also are set up with .EQ lines at the beginning of the text file.

Both disassemblers output a control-I at the beginning of each line rather than a line number.  This causes the assembler to generate its own line number when the file is EXECed, and allows you to set your own increment and starting line number just before typing the EXEC command.  Set the increment by using the INC command; and set the starting line number by typing the number you want less the increment, followed by a space and return.

I forgot to mention, Bob Kovac's disassembler works with eihter Integer BASIC or Applesoft.  He has driver programs written in both languages on the diskette.

They both are excellent tools, which have long been needed.  They both cost the same, $25.  What can I say?  Buy them both!  Do it before the end of 1980, and get a tax deduction before Reagan and our new Congress lower the incode tax rate!


Advertising in AAL

For the first time, there are some ads in your newsletter.  I think you will find them almost as useful as the non-ad material, because so many of you have asked me for compatible two-pass disassemblers to go along with the S-C ASSEMBLER.  If you have written some programs that your want to sell, which you think other readers of the Apple Assembly Line would be interested in, you can advertise here, too.  The cost is quite low ... $20 for a full page, $10 for 1/2 page.
