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From: grr@unirot.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.arch
Subject: Re: Segmented Architectures
Message-ID: <243@unirot.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Dec-85 06:35:02 EST
Article-I.D.: unirot.243
Posted: Sun Dec 15 06:35:02 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Dec-85 05:03:45 EST
References: <4338@fritz.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@unirot.UUCP (George Robbins)
Followup-To: net.arch
Organization: The Soup Kitchen, Piscataway NJ
Lines: 41
Keywords: burroughs hp
Xref: watmath net.micro:13117 net.arch:2308
Summary: HP3000 == Burroughs Architecture

In article <4338@fritz.UUCP> jim@fritz.UUCP (Jim Gilbert) writes:
>
>Burroughs "large" mainframes are a segmented architecture
[lots of details and praise]
>I am not aware of a compiler for C on these systems.
>They do support COBOL, FORTRAN, Pascal, Algol, PL/I, and BASIC.
 
Is there a 'real' C compiler for big Burroughs machines out there?

>
>There is, unfortunately, no popular desktop implementation of this
>architecture.
>

The HP3000 series architecture is essentially a 16/32 bit implementiation
of the Burroughs B5500 architecture.  HP's operating systems implementation
language seems to be based on ESPOL.  I know there were some Burroughs type
hackers working for HP, but would really like to hear a little of the story
behind this...

>
[more praises]
>Technology advances have changed many of the economic tradeoffs around
>which these systems were designed.  I, for one, believe that anyone
>who wishes to speak on the pro's and con's of segmented architectures
>should do their homework on computing history.  Microprocessors were
>not invented at the beginning of time.
>
>				Jim Gilbert FileNet Corporation
>

Well, I cut my teeth on a B5500, found out about real languages with ALGOL,
and learned about OS's and virtual memory from the MCP, unfortunately, a RISC
architecture with some supporting software can do the same tricks for much
less money.  The microcoded machine concepts used in the B1600-1700 machines
are more interesting.  I think a *fast* chip level implementation might prove
to be a possible general solution to the Pascal/Forth engine problems.
-- 
George Robbins			uucp:	{unirot|tapa}!grr
P.O. Box 177
Lincoln U, PA  19352	[Any ideas herein are not responsible for themselves!]