🚀 go-pugleaf

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?
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