Stack Machines

[woodelf]

Chuck Guzis wrote:
> 
> While it's true that stack-based architectures can provide a lot of 
> bang-for-the-buck, like single-accumulator machines, it's difficult 
> to leverage parallelsim to improve performance.

Well all the stack machines I have seen are FORTH or PASCAL or SMALL-C.
The code generation is simple 1 pass recusive complier. Once you stop
and do better code generation your stack access is cleaned up.

> I'd venture that it's awfully difficult to design a stack machine 
> that can compete with a 3-address architecture with a large register 
> file, multiple pipelined functional units and instruction scheduling.

That is because your stack is unrolled into the register file.

> Would you consider the Burroughs B5000 to be a stack machine?

> Cheers,
> Chuck
> 
> .
>