OT: x86 machine code [Was: Re: Self modifying code, lambda calculus - Re: ENIAC programming]

[Pontus Pihlgren]

On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 06:58:24AM -0400, Mouse wrote:
> 
> > You have a lot of byte code virtual machines out there.
> 
> Such as every x86 processor since, what, the Pentium?  They're all RISC
> cores (designed for and) running an x86 emulator.
> 

I've been told this more than a few times and read it in various places. 
It always make me wonder, could we not allow a mode in modern Intel 
processors that lets us bypass the x86 code emulation/translation and 
run "directly on the metal" (if there were such a thing).

The purpose, of course, would be to gain performance. Certainly this 
would already have been done if there was any significant gain to be 
had?

/P