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From: toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: RISC Machines
Message-ID: <1990Oct2.083606.8401@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 2 Oct 90 08:36:06 GMT
References: <8139.apple.net@pro-angmar> <37682@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
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cromwell@acsu.buffalo.edu (mark j cromwell) writes:

>In article <8139.apple.net@pro-angmar> m.tiernan@pro-angmar.UUCP (Michael Tiernan) writes:
>>In-Reply-To: message from herwin@pro-novapple.cts.com

>   The 65x02 aren't RISC processors. They're accumulator microprocessors.


This is a fine point. 65x02's have many features that are commonplace on
RISC CPUs of today, such as a load/store architecture and fast, simple
instructions. They also use an elementary form of pipelining but that is not
exploited as much as it could be. However modern RISC CPUs have a lot of
features that the 65x02 do not have, such as wide data busses and lots of
registers.

My favorite quote on the issue is "the 6502 tried to be a RISC before we knew
what RISC meant."

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu