Notes on Maxam compatibility
============================

Maxam is an assembler for Amstrad CPC machines
(a CP/M version also exists).

zmac 1.2 tries to be Maxam-compatible.

Note the following differences, though:

- zmac 1.2 allows ' and " strings to be specified using '''' and """".
Maxam 1.14 only allows '"' and "'", which zmac 1.2 also allows.

- zmac 1.2 will truncate symbols to 40 characters.
Maxam 1.14 has no such restriction.

- Maxam 1.14 allows strings to be terminated by end-of-line.
zmac 1.2 does not.

- When using the READ directive, Maxam 1.14 will take the first
non-whitespace character as the filename delimiter.  zmac 1.2 only
allows ' or " as a filename delimiter.

- AMSDOS restrictions prevent Maxam 1.14 from supporting nested
READs, which zmac 1.2 allows.  AMSDOS restrictions also prevent
Maxam 1.14 from supporting directories.

- zmac 1.2 has a pretty decent expression parser.
Maxam 1.14 does not (no parentheses, no precedence).

- zmac 1.2 handles multiple ORGs by inserting padding bytes in
the .bin file, but of course this means retrograde ORGs aren't possible.


Mark RISON, <mrison@hotmail.com>, 2000-03-12
