Describe what you did. This week, I focused on understanding the workings of the Hack assembler and the distinction between one-pass and two-pass assembly processes. I delved into the details of the two-pass approach, which involves an initial scan to build a symbol table and a second scan to generate the final machine code. I also explored the concept of backpatching in a one-pass assembler, which uses placeholders to handle forward references and updates these placeholders once the actual addresses are known.
Describe Your Reactions to What You Did: Initially, I found the idea of the assembler making two passes over the code to be somewhat redundant. However, as I grasped the importance of resolving forward references and ensuring accurate symbol definition, the necessity of the two-pass method became clearer. Learning about backpatching as an alternative was intriguing, as it offers a more …show more content…
I am gaining a deeper understanding of assembly language programming and the internal workings of assemblers. This includes the ability to differentiate between various assembly techniques and understand their respective advantages and disadvantages.
What am I realizing about myself as a learner? I realize that I thrive on understanding the underlying principles of how things work, which drives my curiosity and engagement with the material. I also recognize that, while I can be initially resistant to complex concepts, breaking them down and seeing their practical applications helps me overcome this resistance.
In what ways am I able to apply the ideas and concepts gained to my own experience? Knowledge of assembly processes and optimization techniques can be directly applied to low-level programming and system design tasks I may encounter in the future. It also provides a foundation for understanding more advanced topics in computer architecture and compiler