Learn assembly language, and you learn the machine

In this third edition of his bestselling guide to Intel x86 assembly language under Linux, Jeff Duntemann positions assembly not as unapproachable geek arcana but as a first programming language, suitable for readers who have no previous programming experience. As the fundamental language of the CPU, assembly lays the groundwork for all other programming languages, especially native-code C, C++, and Pascal. By mastering assembly, programmers will learn how x86 computers operate all the way down to "the bare silicon," at a level of detail that no other approach can equal.

Assembly Language Step by Step, Third Edition, helps you:

• Review the fundamental concepts behind computing and programming, including the hexadecimal and binary number bases
• Understand the evolution of the Intel CPUs and how modern x86 processors operate
• Grasp the process of programming itself, from editing source code through assembly, linking, and debugging
• Comprehend x86 32-bit protected-mode memory addressing
• Learn the x86 instruction set by dissecting numerous complete example programs
• Work with the wealth of free programming utilities under Ubuntu Linux, including the Kate editor, the NASM assembler, and the GNU toolset
• Master practical details of Linux programming, including procedures, macros, the INT 80h call gate, and calls to the standard C libraries