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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Word vs. Byte Orientation (really about nasty hardware)
Message-ID: <7927@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Apr-87 19:09:50 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7927
Posted: Fri Apr 17 19:09:50 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Apr-87 19:09:50 EST
References: <16122@amdcad.AMD.COM> <16125@amdcad.AMD.COM> <305@winchester.mips.UUCP>, <16167@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 14

> I think my point has been overlooked here. The question of whether a
> chip's registers appear at byte, 16-bit, or 32-bit boundaries is
> outside of the control of the chip designer. The board designer
> determines this. 

However, the chip designer is within his rights to put constraints on this
(e.g. "memory-mapped I/O will be in big trouble if you don't put the
registers at 32-bit boundaries, however this offends your esthetic sense").
Doesn't mean the board designer will listen, of course... and chip-company
management might object on the grounds that the restriction might reduce
sales 0.01%.
-- 
"We must choose: the stars or	Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
the dust.  Which shall it be?"	{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry