Lap6-Dial Programmer's Reference Manual

This document provides a comprehensive programmer's reference for the LAP6-DIAL system, an operating system for the PDP-12 computer that integrates editing, assembling, and file-handling capabilities.

Key aspects of the manual include:

• System Overview: Describes the hardware requirements and the file-oriented nature of the DIAL system, which uses LINCtape for storage.
• Editor: Details the interactive features of the DIAL character editor, which uses a CRT display, a keyboard, and an editing cursor to manage source programs.
• Assembly Language: Covers syntax, symbol management (permanent and user-defined), expressions, and address assignments for the DIAL assembler.
• Pseudo-Operators: Explains various pseudo-ops that direct the assembly process, such as those for mode selection (LINC vs. PDP-8), memory segmentation, and conditional assembly.
• Assembly Programs: Provides instructions for the command-line interface to assemble, list, save, and load binary programs.
• Utility Programs and Commands: Details system commands for managing files (save, add, clear), displaying or printing indices, and utilizing the Peripheral Interchange Program (PIP) for transferring data between devices.
• Appendices: Includes procedural information for starting the system, a guide to assembly error messages, and reference tables for the command set, pseudo-operators, character sets, and PDP-8/LINC instruction sets.