Xref: utzoo comp.arch:6338 comp.edu:1371
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!uwvax!astroatc!johnw
From: johnw@astroatc.UUCP (John F. Wardale)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.edu
Subject: K-map, etc.  (Ramblings)
Summary: its part of learning your tools
Message-ID: <1191@astroatc.UUCP>
Date: 15 Sep 88 19:47:47 GMT
References: <420@eecea.eece.ksu.edu> <3202@geac.UUCP>
Reply-To: johnw@astroatc.UUCP (John F. Wardale)
Organization: Astronautics Technology Cntr, Madison, WI
Lines: 31

In article <3202@geac.UUCP> daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown) writes:
>In article <1764@puff.cs.wisc.edu> upl@puff.CS.WISC.EDU writes:
>>>Why are Karnough maps important to computer organization?
>>>In fact, why would you want to use Karnough mapping on any digital system?

Karnaugh map minimization is a special case of n-cubes which are used
larger problems (one K-map can handle upto n=4, 4 maps, on paper can
do n=6 wi MUCH difficulty)  

There are LOTS of programs around that handle LARGE n.  These programs
are used for PALs (find a board that's NOT laced with PALS!) PLA's
(Find a Chip-mask that doesn't have a few internal PLAs!) and to
some extent with Gate-Arrays and Standard-Cells.
[Remember, ALL large designes contain several small and mid-sized
 chunks!]

Now, If you DON'T think this is an important part of computer 
organization and design (Can you separate them?) them let ME ask
the following:

Why do CS people put such emphasis on writing compilers??
How many people actually WRITE compilers??  Why not just
buy a compiler??

How about code-optimizers??  Anyone ever have GOOD class in that?

-- 
					John Wardale
... {seismo | harvard | ihnp4} ! {uwvax | cs.wisc.edu} ! astroatc!johnw

To err is human, to really foul up world news requires the net!