No Starch Press is set to release the second volume in its Write Great Code series by Randall Hyde. According to the publisher, Write Great Code, Volume 2: Thinking Low-Level, Writing High-Level explains how compilers translate… high level language statements into low-level machine code.

No Starch says that Write Great Code, Vol. 2 provides the “critical knowledge” a programmer needs to write source code that the compiler can translate into efficient machine code. Armed with that understanding, programmers will be better able to choose a proper mix of high-level language statements and constructs to produce more efficient software without having to give up the productivity and portability benefits of a high-level language. While the majority of the examples are in C and C++, the concepts apply to most other high level languages, according to the publisher.

Among the topics covered are:

• How to analyze the output of a compiler to verify that it generates good machine code
• The type of machine code statements that compilers typically generate for common control structures
• A primer on x86 and PowerPC assembly language that teaches just enough assembly language to read compiler output
• How compilers convert constant and variable objects into machine data so that readers can adjust the way they use these objects to write faster and shorter programs

“Like Hyde's Art of Assembly Language, the Write Great Code series captures years of hard-earned, valuable experience and education in an accessible and affordable format,” said No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. “Randy speaks to this new generation of programmer that hasn't been taught assembly language or been trained in a computer science curriculum.”

About the author

Randall Hyde is the author of The Art of Assembly Language (No Starch Press), billed as one of the most highly recommended resources on assembly, and Volume 1 of Write Great Code. He is also the co-author of The Waite Group's MASM 6.0 Bible, and has written for Dr. Dobb's Journal and Byte, as well as professional journals.

 
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