The construction and use of a meta-assembler

Abstract

A Meta-Assembler is a generalised assembly program which is capable,in principle, of translating any given source assembly language text into binary output appropriate for loading and execution on any corresponding target machine. It does this by combining a nucleus of conventional assembly facilities with additional special, facilities for defining source and target languages and their correspondence. There follows a practical investigation into this approach to assembly, consisting of an introduction to the subject, including an outline of typical meta-assembler characteristics, and an evaluation of performance of a prototype system in a number of different types of assembly application. The implementation of, the system in question, SOFAST, at Southampton University is described separately, and some consideration given to, its future portability by means of self application. The main conclusion reached is that a meta-assembler is potentially a useful tool for assembly language translation work in situations where alternative software does not exist or is inferior to itself, with particular value as the base o£ a mobile programming system.</p