This is a distribution of NASM, the Netwide Assembler. NASM is a
_PROTOTYPE_ general-purpose x86 assembler. It will currently output
flat-form binary files, a.out, COFF and ELF Unix object files, and
Microsoft 16-bit DOS and Win32 object files.

Also included is NDISASM, a prototype x86 binary-file disassembler
which uses the same instruction table as NASM.

To install NASM, you will need GCC. Type `make', and then when it
has finished copy the file `nasm' (and maybe `ndisasm') to a
directory on your search path (I use /usr/local/bin on my linux
machine at home, and ~/bin on other machines where I don't have root
access). You may also want to copy the man page `nasm.1' (and maybe
`ndisasm.1') to somewhere sensible.

There is an experimental machine description file for the `LCC'
retargetable C compiler, in the directory `lcc', along with
instructions for its use. This means that NASM can now be used as
the code-generator back end for a useful C compiler, hopefully.

The `misc' directory contains `nasm.sl', a NASM editing mode for the
JED programmers' editor (see http://space.mit.edu/~davis/jed.html
for details about JED). The comment at the start of the file gives
instructions on how to install the mode.

For information about how you can distribute and use NASM, see the
file Licence. We were tempted to put NASM under the GPL, but decided
that in many ways it was too restrictive for developers.

For information about how to use NASM, see `nasm.doc'. For
information about how to use NDISASM, see `ndisasm.doc'. For
information about the internal structure of NASM, see
`internals.doc'.

Bug reports (and patches if you can) should be sent to
jules@dcs.warwick.ac.uk or sgt20@cam.ac.uk.
