Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!yale!mfci!colwell
From: colwell@mfci.UUCP (Robert Colwell)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Architecture Wars, again; survey
Message-ID: <559@m3.mfci.UUCP>
Date: 15 Nov 88 13:43:35 GMT
References: <7926@winchester.mips.COM> <1077@esunix.UUCP> <9774@pur-ee.UUCP>
Sender: colwell@mfci.UUCP
Reply-To: colwell@mfci.UUCP (Robert Colwell)
Organization: Multiflow Computer Inc., Branford Ct. 06405
Lines: 19

In article <9774@pur-ee.UUCP> hankd@pur-ee.UUCP (Hank Dietz) writes:
>If you didn't like my "CISC = RISC + ROM" claim, here's
>another nasty:  it is also true that "CISC = VLIW + ROM."  Of course, the
>same disclaimers apply....

No CISC that I've ever seen.  CISCs tend to be very irregular at the
level where the microword is wide enough for this analogy to even
be worth considering.  You may have a ~100 bit microword, long enough
to control a lot of hardware, but then the hardware is usually just
bus tri-state enables, ALU function selects, register number, etc.

If your analogy holds, you should be able to supply me with some 
CISC machine that I can remove the ROM from and see a VLIW in what
remains.  What CISC were you thinking of?

Bob Colwell            mfci!colwell@uunet.uucp
Multiflow Computer
175 N. Main St.
Branford, CT 06405     203-488-6090