This chapter introduces the basics of the MIPS assembly language. Assembly language statements can either instruct the processor to perform a task, or direct the assembler during the assembly process.

You might think assembly language on a PC is passe. After all, we have a host of efficient high-level languages and plenty of resources. But there are times you want to use assembly for some reason.

An assembler is a type of computer program that takes in basic instructions and converts them into a pattern of bits that the computer's processor can use to perform basic operations. The assembler's ...