Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login
OW

Open Watcom VS NASM

Compare Open Watcom VS NASM and see what are their differences

InboxAlly
Enterprise Email Warmup. Sender Domain Reputation Repair Tool to get out of spam and see open rates more than double in 4 to 14 days. We engage with your emails to teach mailbox providers not to send your email to the spam or the promotions folder. featured
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Open Watcom logo Open Watcom

Open Watcom is a project of the open source community to maintain and enhance the Watcom C, C++, and Fortran cross compilers and tools.

NASM logo NASM

The Netwide Assembler, NASM, is an 80x86 and x86-64 assembler designed for portability and...
  • Open Watcom Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-21
  • NASM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-11

Open Watcom features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

NASM features and specs

  • Standardization
    NASM (Netwide Assembler) uses a standard and simple syntax that is consistent across different platforms and projects, making it easier for programmers to read and write assembly code.
  • Cross-Platform
    NASM supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, allowing developers to write assembly code that can be assembled on different platforms.
  • Wide Compatibility
    NASM is compatible with numerous output formats such as ELF, COFF, and Mach-O, which makes it versatile for different types of development, including system-level programming and application software.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, NASM allows developers to contribute to its development or adapt it to fit specific needs, granting a high degree of flexibility and customization.
  • Active Community
    NASM has an active user and developer community, providing extensive support, resources, and regular updates that help address issues and enhance features.

Possible disadvantages of NASM

  • Low-Level Language
    Writing in assembly language, including NASM, is inherently low-level, making it complex and time-consuming compared to high-level programming languages.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    NASM requires a significant understanding of assembly language and computer architecture, which may present a steep learning curve for beginners.
  • Error-Prone
    Due to its low-level nature, development in NASM is prone to errors, such as memory management bugs, which can be difficult to debug.
  • Limited Use Cases
    While powerful, NASM is generally used for specific use cases like embedded systems, operating system development, or performance-critical applications, limiting its utility for general software development.
  • Maintenance Difficulty
    Assembly code is less maintainable over time compared to high-level languages, as it can be harder for developers to understand and update long after it was originally written.

Open Watcom videos

+ Add

2017-11-12 -- Hello World for Windows 9x-XP-7 with Open Watcom C

More videos:

  • Review - Integration of Open Watcom C++ compiler for ScaLib BDP project ( VTR-038 )

NASM videos

+ Add

Why you should NOT get the NASM CPT || Certification

More videos:

  • Review - NASM CPT Certification | Chapter 1-20 Review |SHOW UP FITNESS PASS NASM GUARANTEED ONLINE INTERNSHIP
  • Review - NASM CPT review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Open Watcom and NASM)

Open Watcom

NASM

IDE
25 25%
IDE
75% 75
Email Marketing
49 49%
Email Marketing
51% 51
Text Editors
0 0%
Text Editors
100% 100
CRM
100 100%
CRM
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Open Watcom and NASM. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NASM should be more popular than Open Watcom. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Open Watcom mentions (2)

  • Revisiting Borland Turbo C/C++, A Great IDE back in the 90s – CodeProject
    Https://web.archive.org/web/20230315024557/http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/ntvdmx64.html Or just run dosbox for full and isolated emulation. Full circle, there's also djgpp and openwatcom for semi-modern retro development. https://www.delorie.com/djgpp https://openwatcom.org I collect retro compilers, programming books, software, and hardware. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • I want to start learning how to program DOS games
    I recommend using Open Watcom, particularly the Open Watcom V2 fork, to target 32-bit protected mode DOS, rather than 16-bit real mode. Source: almost 3 years ago

NASM mentions (3)

  • How to improve at x86/C?
    Try https://nasm.us/ as a modern way to use assembly. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Help needed for asm related project
    Assembly is machine specific, have a look at NASM for a more generic assembly language. https://nasm.us/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • vcpkg now (finally) has site with search functionality
    I have a weird problem: when I try using vcpkg on my work laptop, it cannot download nasm. Instead of nasm, I get an HTML page that explains that I am kept safe and secure by CSIS who blocked downloads from this dangerous domain. Vcpkg barfs on the HTML file (as it should). Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Open Watcom and NASM, you can also consider the following products

GNU Compiler Collection - The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting...

Yasm - Yasm is a complete rewrite of the NASM assembler.

LLVM - LLVM is a compiler infrastructure designed for compile-time, link-time, run-time, and...

flat assembler - A fast and efficient self-assembling x86 assembler for DOS, Windows and Linux.

clang - C, C++, Objective C and Objective C++ front-end for the LLVM compiler.

PCem - PCem emulates an IBM 5150 PC, several models of clones and successors, along with various graphics...

Loading...