What is a .ASM file?
The file extension .ASM is used for files that contain source code written in Assembly language. Assembly language is a type of low-level programming language that is very close to machine language, which is the native language of a computer's processor. Because of its low-level nature, Assembly language is often used for tasks that require direct hardware manipulation or high performance.
An .ASM file contains instructions written in Assembly language. These instructions are meant to be converted into machine language so that a computer's CPU can execute them. To convert the .ASM file into machine language, a special program called an assembler is used. Examples of assemblers include HLA (High Level Assembler), MASM (Microsoft Macro Assembler), FASM (Flat Assembler), NASM (Netwide Assembler), and GAS (GNU Assembler).
To view or edit an .ASM file, you can use a basic text editor because the file is essentially a plain text file. Some of the text editors that can open .ASM files include Microsoft Notepad, which is included with most versions of Windows, Vim, Pico, GNU Emacs, gVim, MacroMates TextMate, and MacVim. There are also specialized file viewing programs like File Viewer Plus available from the Microsoft Store that can handle .ASM files.
Writing in Assembly language is generally more complex and time-consuming than programming in higher-level languages like C or C++. Therefore, in larger projects, .ASM files are often used in conjunction with C or C++ files. The C or C++ files handle most of the application's logic, while the Assembly files are used for performance-critical parts of the code that benefit from direct hardware interaction.
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