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From: bjorn@alberta.UUCP (Bjorn R. Bjornsson)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: More on MIPSco TLB
Message-ID: <319@pembina.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-May-87 04:58:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: pembina.319
Posted: Mon May  4 04:58:41 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 5-May-87 01:18:56 EDT
References: <67@bernina.UUCP> <27207@rochester.ARPA> <121@motsj1.UUCP> <360@winchester.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 27
Summary: Philosophy makes inroads in computer architecture

In article <360@winchester.UUCP>, mash@mips.UUCP (John Mashey) writes:
>	a) There was some evidence that the marginal utility of extra
>	registers (for general use, not counting stack pointer, return
>	address, zero) decreases strongly around 24-28 registers.
>	[Our compiler group did some quick tests, giving the compilers
>	options to use varying numbers of registers, to get this result.
>	I've heard the same range informally from both IBM and HP;
>	I'm not sure if this is published anywhere.]

While there is no shortage of particular applications that
can use all the registers you can throw in their general
direction,  I suspect that the above figure is closely tied
to human psychology (ie. the manifestations of manual programming)
and the nature of the Universe (that is the laws of physics),
the former being heavily influenced by the latter.
I'm reminded of what a prof said to me when I slipped up in a
measure and integration theory oral:

	If that were [not] true I don't know what the
	Universe would look like, except it wouldn't
	be anywhere close to what we are experiencing
	now!

Ah, this is starting too sound quite metaphysical isn't it?

			Bjorn R. Bjornsson
			{ubc-vision,ihnp4,mnetor}!alberta!bjorn