11 Apr
2017
11 Apr
'17
10:05 a.m.
On Apr 11, 2017, at 12:37 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 04/10/2017 02:23 PM, Eric Smith wrote:
Back then it would have seemed a reasonable assumption that high level, strongly typed,
languages would continue to flourish. If you assume Algol or Pascal or Ada, a machine
like the 432 (or like the Burroughs 5500 and its descendants) makes perfect sense.
I don't think this is exactly a question of RISC vs. CISC, but rather a question of
how you believe addressing is done. For example, the EL-X8 is a one address machine with
a regular instruction layout, which makes it somewhat RISC like in structure. But it has
addressing modes clearly designed for efficient handling of block structured recursive
languages like Algol.
paul
When the 432 project (originally 8800) started,
there weren't many
people predicting that C (and its derivatives) would take over the world.
That's the danger of a too-aggressive CISC, isn't it? I suppose that
it's safe to say that if you look under the hood of any modern CPU,
there's a RISC machine in there somewhere.