Syntax Differences Between x86 Assemblers

There is no standard assembly language for the x86 architecture. Vendor implementations of assemblers for the x86 architecture instruction sets differ in syntax and functionality. The syntax of the Solaris x86 assembler is compatible with the syntax of the assembler distributed with earlier releases of the UNIX operating system (this syntax is sometimes termed “AT&T syntax”). Developers familiar with other assemblers derived from the original UNIX assemblers, such as the Free Software Foundation's gas, will find the syntax of the Solaris x86 assembler very straightforward.

However, the syntax of x86 assemblers distributed by Intel and Microsoft (sometimes termed “Intel syntax”) differs significantly from the syntax of the Solaris x86 assembler. These differences are most pronounced in the handling of instruction operands:

• The Solaris and Intel assemblers use the opposite order for source and destination operands.

• The Solaris assembler specifies the size of memory operands by adding a suffix to the instruction mnemonic, while the Intel assembler prefixes the memory operands.

• The Solaris assembler prefixes immediate operands with a dollar sign ($) (ASCII 0x24), while the Intel assembler does not delimit immediate operands.

See Chapter 2, Solaris x86 Assembly Language Syntax for additional differences between x86 assemblers.