[cctalk] Re: Z80 vs other microprocessors of the time.

Lets call them LOAD/STORE architectures. Classic cpu designs like the PDP-1, might be better called RISC. Back then you matched the cpu word length to data you were using. 40 bits made a lot of sense for real computing, even if you had no RAM memory at the time, just drum. IBM set the standard for 8 bit bytes, 16, 32 bit words and 64 bit floating point. Things are complex because you need to pack things to fit the standard size boxes. Every thing is trade off. Why? Because the IBM 7030 Stretch (64 bits) was a flop. Save memory, CISC. Use memory, RISC. Simple memory, Microprocessors. Processor development, is always built around what memory you have around at the time, is my argument. How many Z80's can you think of USE core memory? I think only 1 8080A ever used core memory, from BYTE magazine. Improvements in memory often where improvements in logic as well for CPU design. If CPU's were designed for high level languages, why are there no stack based architectures around like for Pascal's P-code? (1970's yes, but not today) The Z80 may be gone, but the 8080 still can be emulated by bitslices. Did anyone ever use them? Ben.