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PLASMA: Proto Language ASsembler for Apple

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David Schmenk has released PLASMA, a combination virtual machine and
assembler for the 6502.

"Introduction
PLASMA is a combination of virtual machine and assembler/compiler matched
closely to the 6502 architecture.  It is an attempt to satisfy a few
challenges surrounding code size, efficient execution, small runtime and
fast just-in-time compilation.  By architecting a unique bytecode that maps
nearly one-to-one to the higher level representation, the compiler/assembler
can be very simple and execute quickly on the Apple II for a self-hosted
environment.  A modular approach provides for incremental development and
code reuse.  Different projects have led to the architecture of PLASMA, most
notably Apple Pascal, FORTH, and my own Java VM for the 6502, VM02. Each has
tried to map a generic VM to the 6502 with varying levels of success.  Apple
Pascal, based on the USCD Pascal using the p-code interpreter, was a very
powerful system and ran fast enough on the Apple II to be interactive but
didn't win any speed contests. FORTH was the poster child for efficiency and
obtuse syntax. Commonly referred to as a write only language, it was
difficult to come up to speed as a developer, especially when using other's
code. My own project in creating a Java VM for the Apple II uncovered the
folly of shoehorning a large system into something never intended to run 32
bit applications."

"The ultimate target is to have a complete IDE available for the Apple II."

Read More at Mr. Schmenk's web site:
http://schmenk.is-a-geek.com/PLASMA.html

-- 
]DF$
Mac GUI Vault - A source for retro Apple II and
Macintosh computing.
http://macgui.com/vault/

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PLASMA: Proto Language ASsembler for Apple dog_cow@macgui.com (D Finnigan) - 2012-03-06 17:02 +0000

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