System Programming Languages¶

System-level programming languages for NORD/SINTRAN operating system development, device drivers, and low-level system utilities.

🔧 System Languages¶

NPL-DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md ¶

NORD Programming Language (NPL)

The primary language for SINTRAN III operating system development.

Key Features: - Direct hardware access - Interrupt handling - Memory management - Register manipulation - Inline MAC assembly - Compiles to MAC code

Use Cases: - Operating system components - Device drivers - Kernel modules - RT programs - Monitor-level code

Reference Manual: ../../../Reference-Manuals/ND-60.047.03 NORD PL User's Guide.md

MAC-DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md ¶

Macro Assembler (MAC)

Low-level assembly language for NORD-100 computers.

Key Features: - Direct CPU instruction access - Macro definitions - Conditional assembly - Symbol management - Produces BRF object files

Use Cases: - Performance-critical code - Hardware initialization - Boot loaders - Interrupt handlers - NPL compiler output

Reference Manuals: - ../../../Reference-Manuals/ND-60.096.01 MAC Interactive Assembly and Debugging System User's Guide.md - ../../../Reference-Manuals/ND-60.009.02 MACM Mac Mass Storage Assembler.md

MAC-COOKBOOK.md ¶

MAC Practitioner's Cookbook

The empirically-verified companion to the MAC guide: what actually assembles and runs through the @MAC reentrant subsystem on SINTRAN III VSX/500 L (built with )9ASSM + NRL, run under nd100x).

Covers: - The exact source encoding that @MAC accepts (:SYMB, CR-only, even parity, )LINE) - Build pipeline: )9ASSM → NRL → run - The addressing deref ladder (LDA ( vs LDA I (), P-relative ±128 limit, literal-pool flushing - The monitor-call ABI (skip-on-success convention, by-reference param lists) - A gotcha catalogue (symptom → cause → fix) and a debugging methodology - Differences observed vs. the general language reference

Use Cases: - Getting a first MAC program to assemble and run on SINTRAN III - Debugging "assembled fine but faults at runtime" issues - Onboarding (AI or human) to practical ND MAC coding

NORD-500-ASSEMBLER-DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md ¶

NORD-500 Assembler

Assembly language for the 32-bit ND-500 coprocessor.

Key Features: - 32-bit operations - Domain-based programming - Structured assembly (NRF format) - Advanced addressing modes - Floating-point operations

Use Cases: - ND-500 coprocessor programs - Signal processing - Scientific computing - Specialized algorithms - High-performance tasks

Reference Manuals: - ../../../Reference-Manuals/ND-60.113.02 EN Assembler Reference Manual.md - ../../../Reference-Manuals/ND-05.009.4 EN ND-500 Reference Manual.md

NORD-500-ASSEMBLER-EXPERT-GUIDE.md ¶

NORD-500 Assembler Expert Guide

Advanced topics and expert-level ND-500 programming.

Topics: - Domain management - Memory mapping - Advanced instruction usage - Optimization techniques - System integration

🎯 Which System Language to Use?¶

Use NPL When:¶

✅ Writing SINTRAN OS components
✅ Developing device drivers
✅ Need structured system programming
✅ Want readable, maintainable system code
✅ Need both high-level and low-level control

Use MAC When:¶

✅ Need maximum performance
✅ Require direct CPU instruction control
✅ Writing boot loaders or very low-level code
✅ Implementing NPL-called routines
✅ Optimizing critical code paths

Use NORD-500 Assembler When:¶

✅ Programming the ND-500 coprocessor
✅ Need 32-bit arithmetic operations
✅ Implementing specialized algorithms
✅ Require floating-point performance
✅ Working with ND-500 domains

📚 Learning Path¶

Beginner → Intermediate¶

Start with NPL - Learn structured system programming
Study MAC basics - Understand NPL's output
Read SINTRAN source - See real-world NPL/MAC usage

Intermediate → Advanced¶

Deep dive into MAC - Master assembly language
Study interrupt handling - Learn system-level concepts
Explore device drivers - Apply knowledge to real drivers

Advanced → Expert¶

ND-500 programming - Master coprocessor development
OS kernel modification - Contribute to SINTRAN
Hardware integration - Design new device drivers

🛠️ Development Tools¶

Compilers¶

@NPL - NPL compiler
@MAC - MAC assembler
@N500 - NORD-500 assembler

Debuggers¶

@MAC-DEBUG - Interactive MAC debugger
@SIBAS - System debugger

Utilities¶

@LOAD - Relocating loader
@DUMP - Object file dumper
@XREF - Cross-reference generator

See ../../Workflow/TOOLS-REFERENCE.md for complete tool documentation.

📖 Code Examples¶

All language guides include practical examples: - Hello World programs - System call usage - Interrupt handlers - Device driver templates - Memory management - ND-500 communication

Last Updated: October 18, 2025
Languages: 3 (NPL, MAC, NORD-500 Assembler)
Documentation Status: ✅ Complete guides available

System Programming Languages¶

🔧 System Languages¶

NPL-DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md¶

MAC-DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md¶

MAC-COOKBOOK.md¶

NORD-500-ASSEMBLER-DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md¶

NORD-500-ASSEMBLER-EXPERT-GUIDE.md¶