Where can I learn to use punch cards?

Question

I'm in the mood for learning a programming language that's so low level it's just twisting a few wires around or typing several 0s and 1s and getting excactly what I want. What is the lowest level programming language currently available?

Answer 1

Any processor will have a native assembly language. What compilers do is take a higher level language like C and convert it into the op codes for the target processor.

Since most PCs are X86 based, pick up a book on X86 assembly language and learn about the internal architecture of the X86 processor.

If you are interested in moving into the embedded world where being able to program in hand optimized assembly is helpful you might want to check out some books on the internals of the more popular embedded processors, powerpc, for example.

Answer 2

Punch Cards you would probably have to go to an antique museum, but for something that is probably a little easier and a little more fun, would be programming web pages. It allows you to be creative and you can eventually make money with it. It has a simple structure like HTML which is the basic language. You can then work your way up to stuff that is more difficult if you want to move to PHP, Perl, and JavaScript.

Answer 3

I have a bunch of 5081s you may use (of course, use columns 1-8 for instruction labels, reserve columns 73-80 for sequence numbers, generally instructions are first nonblank string, followed by operands, followed by comments (if any) up to sequence number columns. Then run through assembler. See IBM Principles of Operation. (commonly called PoOP)

Answer 4

Take a Google on machine code: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_code. That's a bunch of hard core binary action and you shouldn't need any punch card readers and such. Besides I don't think punch cards were always using machine code.

-Vainentree

Answer 5

Want a challenge? Then learn this language.

Answer 6

Get some processor and learn assembly for it. I suggest something with no pipe-lining, like the propeller processor.

http://www.parallax.com/propeller/index.asp

Answer 7

assembly language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-level_programming_language

for entertainment here is a virtual punchcard simulator:

http://www.facade.com/legacy/punchcard/

put this code in:
FORMAT(13H HELLO, WORLD)

for kicks.