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<h3 class="section">1.1 Structure of this Manual</h3>
<p><a name="index-manual_002c-structure-and-purpose-21"></a>This manual is intended to describe what you need to know to use
<span class="sc">gnu</span> <samp><span class="command">as</span></samp>. We cover the syntax expected in source files, including
notation for symbols, constants, and expressions; the directives that
<samp><span class="command">as</span></samp> understands; and of course how to invoke <samp><span class="command">as</span></samp>.
<p>This manual also describes some of the machine-dependent features of
various flavors of the assembler.
<p><a name="index-machine-instructions-_0028not-covered_0029-22"></a>On the other hand, this manual is <em>not</em> intended as an introduction
to programming in assembly language&mdash;let alone programming in general!
In a similar vein, we make no attempt to introduce the machine
architecture; we do <em>not</em> describe the instruction set, standard
mnemonics, registers or addressing modes that are standard to a
particular architecture.
You may want to consult the manufacturer's
machine architecture manual for this information.
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