Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!occrsh!uokmax!apple!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!psuecl!d6b
From: d6b@psuecl.bitnet
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Architecture questions
Message-ID: <20597.26ed1035@psuecl.bitnet>
Date: 11 Sep 90 20:26:28 GMT
References: <2516@l.cc.purdue.edu> <6838.26e7f109@vax1.tcd.ie> <2531@l.cc.purdue.edu> <4043@auspex.auspex.com>
Organization: Engineering Computer Lab, Pennsylvania State University
Lines: 13

In article <4043@auspex.auspex.com>, guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris) writes:
>>Text processing, for anyone who needs more than ASCII, is in a very primitive
>>state.  Even ASCII processing is limited.  Again, hardware instructions would
>>help.
>
> Such as?

Typically you only use 8 bits of your 32 or 64 bit registers/data bus when
manipulating text. Obviously you can add instructions to improve this
situation, and there are several examples in the real world of this being
done. (The Am29000 and the -gasp- Intel chips come to mind).

-- Dan Babcock
How do great minds get great ideas? With a little help from their Amigas!!!