Greetings, fellow minimalists! Today, we delve into the sacred realm of assembly language, where true minimalists thrive. Forget the cluttered world of high-level languages; we’re about to embrace the purest form of code, stripped down to its bare essentials.

Tip 1: Pushing Your Problems Away

Do you ever get stuck when you’re trying to do something with a register? You might not know what the register contains, what it has contained, or what it will contain in the future. Your code doesn’t have any comments, and you don’t know what to do? Well, the answer is very straightforward.

Consider the following demonstration:

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    ; ebx == probably some important value
    mov bl, [patch_size]    ; here we lost the original value of ebx
    dec bl                  ; decrement bl
    cmp al, bl              ; compare al with bl
    je pattern_found

In this code, we need to compare the al with the value of patch_size decreased by one. It would look something like this: cmp al, [patch_size]-1. But since we’re dealing with assembly here, doing it directly like this is not possible. Instead, we need to use a register to store the value of patch_size so we can decrement it. Here’s the thing: I would need to use a register to store that value. But I don’t know any registers available currently? The simple solution is to pushad your problems away. Here’s the ultimate minimalist solution:

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    ; ebx == probably some important value

    pushad                  ; push all registers to stack,
                            ; so they can be restored later

    mov bl, [patch_size]    ; override the value of bl
    dec bl                  ; decrement bl
    cmp al, bl              ; compare al with bl

    popad                   ; restore all registers values
                            ; from the previous `pushad`

    je pattern_found

Here’s a larger example that uses pushad and popad to make the code more readable:

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important_func:
    pushad
    mov al, [important_data]
    add al, 0x3
    pushad
    mov ah, [flag]
    test ah, ah
    jz .skip_important_part
    mov bl, [patch_size]
    dec bl
    cmp al, bl
    popad
    je .pattern_found
    jmp .next_part

.skip_important_part:
    popad
    jmp .even_more_important_part

.pattern_found:
    pushad
    mov bl, 0xFF
    mov [important_data], bl
    popad
    jmp .cleanup

.next_part:
    pushad
    mov ah, 0x0
    mov [flag], ah
    popad
    jmp .skip_important_part

.even_more_important_part:
    pushad
    mov al, [patch_size]
    inc al
    mov [patch_size], al
    popad
    jmp .next_part

.cleanup:
    pushad
    mov al, 0x0
    mov ah, 0x0
    mov bl, 0x0
    mov bh, 0x0
    popad
    jmp .end

Tip 3: Naming Conventions for the Minimalist

In the world of assembly, labels are your beacons in the expansive wilderness of code. But why adhere to conventional, straightforward names when you can embrace the essence of minimalism itself?

Opt for labels that make a statement, like using x instead of replace_pattern_loop. Or, why use found_patch_success when msg1 offers an air of mystery and brevity?

Embrace the challenge, my fellow minimalists. The hallmark of exceptional assembly code is not understanding, but rather the artful compression of information. The less space your labels consume, the more minimalist your masterpiece becomes.

Tip 3: Embracing the Loops

In the realm of high-level languages, there’s a focus on “structured programming” and “code readability.” However, among minimalist assembly programmers, we appreciate a different kind of elegance. We value the efficiency and grace of instructions as they intertwine harmoniously, creating an intricate dance of optimized code.

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start:
  pushad

  mov ecx, 0
  outer_loop:
    inc ecx
    mov eax, ecx

    inner_loop_1:
      mov ebx, eax

      inner_loop_2:
        mov edx, ebx
        inc edx

        inner_loop_3:
          mov esi, edx
          inc esi

          inner_loop_4:
            mov edi, esi
            inc edi
            cmp edi, 10
            je check_outer
            jmp inner_loop_4

        cmp esi, 10
        je check_inner_2
        jmp inner_loop_3

      cmp edx, 10
      je check_inner_1
      jmp inner_loop_2

    cmp ebx, 10
    je check_outer
    jmp inner_loop_1

  check_outer:
    cmp ecx, 10
    je end_loop
    jmp outer_loop

  end_loop:
    popad
    ret

Isn’t that just poetry in motion? Who needs structured programming when you can have a minimalist masterpiece?

In conclusion, my fellow minimalists, embrace the simplicity of assembly language. Revel in the simplicity of pushing your problems away, eschew the need for comments, and let your code resemble a beautiful, dance of optimized code. Only then can you truly call yourself a master of minimalist assembly programming.

Stay tuned for more enlightening tips on Minimalist Living!