User Guide

The NCS/e User Guide covers setting up and operating an NCS/e computer, from assembling the system in Second Life to starting programs from the Shell.

If you have just acquired an NCS/e, start with Installation and continue through the guide in order.

In this guide

Installation

Assemble your NCS/e, arrange its components, link peripherals to the main unit, and make changes to the installed hardware.

Booting the NCS/e

Turn the NCS/e on, understand the POST screen, and learn the power, ABORT, and RESET controls.

The NCS/e Shell

Use the NCS/e command line to start programs, return to the Shell, and understand what happens when a program is stopped or encounters an error.

The Execution Queue

Run several programs in sequence with QUEUE and NEXT, and learn what happens to queued programs when the current program finishes, is aborted, or encounters an error.

Program Arguments and Entry Points

Supply arguments when starting a program, access those arguments from NCL, and use RUNA to begin execution at a particular entry point.

Getting Started with NCL

Operating an NCS/e does not require knowing how to program it. If you would like to write your own software, Learning NCL provides a step-by-step introduction to NCL.

The course begins with simple instructions and gradually introduces registers, arithmetic, decisions, loops, strings, Keyboard input, Display output, and interactive programs. It assumes no previous experience with assembly language or low-level programming.

You can begin Learning NCL after becoming familiar with the Shell. The complete NCL reference is available when you need more detailed information, but you do not need to read it before starting the course.

Reference documentation

The User Guide focuses on setting up and operating the computer. The reference documentation describes the programming language and the interfaces available to NCL programs.

You do not need to read the reference documentation from beginning to end. Use it when you need details about a particular instruction, module, or peripheral.