Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!gatech!bloom-beacon!oberon!sm.unisys.com!csun!polyslo!dorourke From: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Sir Hoyt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: New Mac Rumours Message-ID: <8513@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> Date: 24 Feb 89 18:16:17 GMT References: <41a2364a.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu> <70755@ti-csl.csc.ti.com> Reply-To: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke) Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo Lines: 30 In article <70755@ti-csl.csc.ti.com> holland@m2.UUCP (Fred Hollander) writes: >This is very interesting. I don't have the strongest background in >hardware architecture, but, could you please explain how a processor >could be optimized for a specific high level language? I don't have the strongest background either, and I not the original poster that you asked to respond. But I think you'll find my posting interesting none the less. If you want to see a good example of a processor being optimized for a particular language Unisys {really Burroghs} A-Series arch. is optimized for Algol. The way they do this is by providing Machine language instructions that implement whole/parts of constructs present in the target high level language. For example Algol 60 does parameters with call by name, so they have some assembly language instructions that make this process rather easy to implement for a compiler. Also the 68000 {sort of a small PDP-11 if memory serves} is not a bad processor for C {since C was originally done on a PDP-11 again if memory serves} because it has all sorts of pre/post increment/decrement instructions, along with stack build/tear-down instructs that make a block structured langage like c/pascal easier to implement. I hope this helps. But if you look at processor design you can sometimes see what language it was originally designed for by the instruction set it has. -- David M. O'Rourke dorourke@polyslo.calpoly.edu It's only 1's & 0's, so how difficult can Computer Science be? ===============================================================================