VAX assembler/emulator?

[Ted Lemon]

>We're thinking about upgrading our current VS2000 cluster to a cluster
>of DS3100s, but have a little problem...
>
>One of the more important functions of this cluster is our Computer
>Science assembler language course.  So...  we're wondering if anyone
>has heard of a VAX (or just PDP-11) cross assembler/emulation package
>that's out there...

Perhaps this is a bit obvious, but I can't think of a better project
to teach people about how computers really work than to write a
machine emulator and assembler.

If you don't buy that argument, though, and you can talk the
instructor in question into moving to the Intel architecture, there's
a program available for the DECstation series called SoftPC, which
emulates an 80386 IBM PC system, and even runs MS-DOS (oh, boy!).   At
least the Intel processor is a CISC machine.

BTW, if you manage to make this switch happen, the difference in speed
will *blow your mind*!   I still occasionally have to set up VS2000s
for people within our organization, and the difference in time that it
takes just to install a new aliases database is mind-blowing.   Of
course, I work for the organization that produced the DECstation 3100,
so I suppose I'm a little bit biased.

			       _MelloN_