6502 assembler and emulator in Javascript

[Derleth]

Retrocomputing enthusiasts, unite! The emulator even has a CRT-like graphical display, just like your old Commodore-64 blasted graphics at. (Yeah, the C64 used the 6510, not the 6502, but the differences between the CPUs were pretty minimal.)

Note that it's in Javascript, not Java: Java is probably more obviously suited to the task, but Javascript is more lightweight and more compatable. (Not everyone has, or wants, a Java VM on their system, but all vaguely recent-ish graphical browsers have full Javascript support.)

The site comes with example programs (full source included, of course), including snake, pong, and a spaceflight game, and the ability to see a hex dump of your assembled program (displayed in a new window). This could be a great way to learn how to do some interesting hacks on this historically important platform.

[Mindfield]

That's pretty cool, especially considering it's done in the limited Javascript platform. I used to hack away on a 6502 on the Atari 8-bit platform back in the day. MAC/65 was my assembler of choice. I must admit I had lots of fun with it once I had that epiphany one day when looking at some type-in source in an Ataricentric computing mag about what all that gobbledygook actually did. I loved the deceptive simplicity of writing programs from the most basic of building blocks (without write in pure binary or hex codes anyway). It took longer to get productive output, but it was much more flexible in what you were able to do and how you were able to do it. Pity I've forgotten a great deal of the deeper subjects (jump/branch distance limitations and stuff like that -- especially the Atari-specific stuff like using page 6 memory for background graphics operations, manipulating the display list, stuff like that) but I still remember how to use the accumulators and what all the mnemonics mean!

[GorillaMan]

Fffft. Retrocomputing, indeed. I've got two BBC Micros sitting in my spare room.

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by GorillaMan

Fffft. Retrocomputing, indeed. I've got two BBC Micros sitting in my spare room.

Oh yeah? I have three ZX81s.

_{Okay, one of them is a Timex-Sinclair 1000.}

[NE Texan]

Didn't the Apple II use a 6502? That's from memory, so I could be wrong, but that would be kind of cool - you could load up the equivalent Apple ROM, and run those old programs!

[ASAKMOTSD]

Originally Posted by NE Texan

Didn't the Apple II use a 6502? That's from memory, so I could be wrong, but that would be kind of cool - you could load up the equivalent Apple ROM, and run those old programs!

I am guessing that somehow playing Adventure just is not as much fun as it once was. XYZZY - Poof! You are now in a sloping East/West cavern.

[Derleth]

Originally Posted by NE Texan

Didn't the Apple II use a 6502? That's from memory, so I could be wrong, but that would be kind of cool - you could load up the equivalent Apple ROM, and run those old programs!

Yes, the Apple II did use the 6502. The chip really got around.

And you can still play a large number of text adventures on modern computers. (Scroll down for a list of archive sites.)