Introduction to 80x86 Assembly Language and Computer Architecture

by Richard C. Detmer

Book Overview

A computer can be viewed from many different levels, and used for many different functions, such as the creation of new application software. However, an actual computer works at an even lower level than this. Introduction to 80x86 Assembly Language and Computer Architecture divides its emphasis between the assembly-language/machine-language level of computer operations and the architectural level, that is, the level defined by the machine instructions...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763717738
• ISBN13: 9780763717735
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Publishers
• Length: 499 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great material, but basic

After reading half of Randall Hyde's AoA, I got pissed off at reading HLA and bought this book and finished it in a month. This satisfied my expectations. This book uses MASM (Intel syntax) with Visual Studio (Express version is available for free). Pros: - Very clear and explicit explanations and examples - Good structuring of the chapters - Gives the reader excellent insight on the fundamental instructions of x86 instruction set Cons: - Doesn't really explain computer architecture in depth, but is expected in a 389 page book concentrating on assembly language, which I find to be the most important - Does not show how to use functions from Visual Studio's libraries (had to learn how to prototype functions myself from Microsoft's website)

Great book for helping with shell code analysis

I needed a good book to help me with a security lab class where we wrote and examined shell code to exploit applications. I had little ASM experience and this book helped a lot. The book is the most up to date assembly book I could find, covering 64 bit architectures and more. If you need to understand how assembly works to write shell code I would highly reccomend this book. The section on understanding the stack is very useful to understand how to exploit applications and why these exploits work. The only drawback that I see to this book is the price, it is very expensive. I feel that ASM is a pretty highly specialized area which justifies the price.

Great for beginners

With only knowledge of a high level language (C/C++) I started with this book and it was well worth the money. A good introduction to the hexadecimal and binary numbers, then a brief look at the inner workings and then on with the assembly instructions, process flow and subroutines. A very clear way of showing things, well written. The only thing I missed were the answers to the question posed at the end of the chapter. But only one e-mail to the author was enough to obtain them, therefore many thanx to Mr. Detmer. Great!!

Finally, a textbook you can learn from....!!

Richard Detmer has done an excellent job of relating a very difficult subject! I originally signed up for a a class in assembly language my sophomore year. As a computer science major, the course is mandatory. Three weeks into the class I dropped it.....despite the instructors knowledge of the subject, the textbook we were using made no sense. I reregistered for the class the next semester, and the textbook had changed. Although I had to pay for a new textbook, the cost was well worth it! This book makes sense to the novice assembly programmer, and carries the reader well into an intermediate level of understanding of the subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning assembly programming on an 80x86 platform (which includes most non-embedded systems these days), or studying this material for a course. If you are taking a class in assembly, I would strongly suggest you use this textbook as a supplement.

Probably the best introductory book on 80x86 assembly

02/07/2003 - UKI have read many introductory books on 80x86 assembly language. Every book I have read had some problems (not up to date, 16 bits only, segmented model, dos only, too long and boring, etc...) For the first time I found no disadvantages!This book is easy to understand and it is for beginners; still, it is not trivial nor boring! It is interesting and somehow challenging. It is up-to-date: 32 bits, flat model, windows APIs, and MASM. It comes with a CD with all the software you need. Of course the book includes only basic assembly instructions (no directx, no SSE, etc...).I strongly believe this is the best introductory book for learning 80x86 assembly language.