Professional Assembly Language Programming (Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

Nevertheless i WOULD recommend the book; it very readable, have good examples and cover all areas in low-level development you will need/are interested in. That is true that it does cover quite basics, but overall vibes about the book are good.

It also uses assmbler that is built into gcc, that is way more usefull than something like nasm, which i'm personaly allergic to - so i would not go for 'Step by Step' book.

There are sections you might skip, that you are familiar with, e.g. stack frames, or linking to C/C++ object code, but it might not hurt to skim through quickly, to obtain a more complete idea.

There are not many alternatives in the area, though it might not be another Kerrigan And Ritchie masterpiece, it is a good book to own, i.e. BETTER than any other ones i know of.

reasons to buy this book:

*Good introduction for begginer (but a C programmer)
*All related topics covered
*Practical examples of code given for all topics
*Free from dangerous practice

I am pleased to add that this book is very impressive both in terms of what information it covers and how that information is presented. It's a 'Programmer to programmer' book which means if you already know how to program then this is an excellent reference (The more you know the better, but I suppose you can get by only knowing the basics). There is also some emphasis on how C/C++ high level code is converted to assembly - just dont expect to pick up any compiler theory because that's a completely different kettle of fish. This book is for existing programmers and the code conversion helps you to understand how a routine in C can be rewritten in Assembly.

This book covers the usual computer architecture you would need to know to program IA-32 chipsets (That's the Intel / AMD / 32bit architecture), and even goes into some detail about enhanced instruction sets (MMX / SSE), which I personally find quite enlightening. Too many of these Assembly books are outdated. How are you supposed to optimise code for modern chipsets if you've only been taught to program a 386? The coverage of MMX and SSE is very good and short code examples are used throughout the entire book with very clear explanations.

The book specifically teaches gas which is the GNU assembler. There are several reasons for this, but my gripe is learning the AT&T style syntax of gas. This shouldn't be too confusing for your average programmer because there are several reminders that the syntax differs from the intel reference manual throughout the book. Some information is offered right at the beginning to help you set up with any preffered assembler. Source code is downloadable from the book website which is very handy.

What I like most of all about this book is that it is organised in a way that agrees with me. As a programmer I want to know how to do specific tasks, and sometimes I want to know in some detail about that thing, and this book delivers. I also like the way it doesn't refer to extinct architectures like some other books do. The information is up to date, and covers most if not all applicable ways that Assembly might be used today in modern, professional software. Big thumbs up for this one, it fills the gap.

What it will NOT give you: sufficient understanding to code non-trivial assembler programs, or to optimize in anything but the most simplistic manner. It doesn't even contain a comprehensive listing of x86 instructions! This definitely cannot be your only reference book.

Still, I'm happy I bought this book. Despite it's limitations, it's readable, comprehensible, and immediately useful.