Lassembler

Lassembler is an open-source assembler designed for the L family of educational assembly languages. It translates L assembly source code into machine code or object modules for the reference processors used in the L platform, supporting learners and developers working with low-level computer architecture.

Features include macro processing, conditional assembly, and a relocation model that allows object modules to be combined with different linkers. It supports multiple output formats, including ELF-compatible object files and flat binaries, enabling use with common tooling in the L ecosystem. The assembler includes an integrated preprocessor, support for include files, and basic debugging metadata to assist stepping through code in simulators and debuggers.

Design and implementation: Lassembler is designed to be portable and extensible. It is written in C and uses a modular backend architecture to target several L processors. The project emphasizes clear error reporting and informative diagnostics to help students understand assembly language concepts.

Usage: Source files written in the L assembly syntax are assembled with a command such as lasm -o program.o program.l, after which the object file can be linked with an L runtime or simulator to produce an executable image. The tool provides options for include paths, macro definitions, and optimization levels.

Impact: Lassembler has been adopted in university courses and community training programs that teach computer organization and systems programming. It is maintained by an international community of contributors and is distributed under an open-source license.

See also: Assembler, L programming language, Object file, ELF, Debugging information.