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## 8 Machine Dependent Features

The machine instruction sets are (almost by definition) different on each machine where `as` runs. Floating point representations vary as well, and `as` often supports a few additional directives or command-line options for compatibility with other assemblers on a particular platform. Finally, some versions of `as` support special pseudo-instructions for branch optimization.

This chapter discusses most of these differences, though it does not include details on any machine's instruction set. For details on that subject, see the hardware manufacturer's manual.