For trivial examples, and especially when using modern toolchains, the 6502 isn't tremendously more difficult to program for; however, if you're using the tools

For trivial examples, and especially when using modern toolchains, the 6502 isn't tremendously more difficult to program for; however, if you're using the tools and resources of the day and writing large, complex projects (e.g. disk operating systems, databases, etc.) it's another story. The 6800's larger register set (yes, 16-bit stack pointer and index registers, but also dual accumulators), richer instruction set, more consistent use of status flags, and hardware features like DMA support with no additional hardware/not a special version of the processor are what makes it more of a "real processor" to me. I still hack on both, though, so I'm not trying to say the 6502 is some kinda turd no one should program :P