szadb is an assembly level debugger for programs written for the TOS operating system on the Atari ST computer. It is primarily meant to be a companion to the freely distributed Sozobon C compiler, and can be copied and passed around under the same conditions.
One of design goals of the original szadb project was to provide a debugger closely resembling adb, which is available on most UNIX systems. There are some dissimilarities which follow mostly from differences in target machines and operating systems. Still users with an adb experience should feel right at home.
The originally released version 1.0 was written by Johann Ruegg and Don Dugger. Expanded to version 1.2 in a joint effort of Anthony Howe and Michalł Jaegermann. Further development to version 1.4 by Michalł Jaegermann. A document describing version 1.2 was prepared by Anthony Howe and Michał Jaegermann. Modified slightly by the last author to reflect changes in versions 1.3 and 1.4
Version 1.2 introduced multi-command input lines, which could be attached to breakpoints and stepping commands. Other it features included recording of a debugging sesion in a file, definitions function keys, and other assorted niceties. In addition to original Sozobon C symbols (Alcyon C style, also a default for ST version of gcc compiler) it also accepted the symbol table formats from Mark Williams C.
Version 1.3, not very widely distributed, added to this list a ``GST extension'' of a symbol table format, with symbols up to twenty two characters long. Executables with such tables are produced by newer versions of gcc (ST) loader with -G option to the compiler.
Version 1.4 brings much greater flexibility in supported screen displays. In particular it is possible now to run szadb in all six TT resolutions. Moniterm, in a tandem with a standard ST monitor, also can be used in a particularly convenient manner.
If your compiler's symbol table format is not supported, or there are other changes or additions you wish to add, the complete source is provided free with the debugger.
The document you are reading now serves as a gentle introduction to ``adb way of debugging''. It gives expanded explanations and examples but it does not cover all points described in a formal szadb description. Read the other document in any case!