Language-specific CPUs was Re: uIEC/SD == AWESOME!

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Language-specific CPUs was Re: uIEC/SD == AWESOME!
>   From: Cameron Kaiser <spectre at floodgap.com>
>   Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:27:08 -0800 (PST)
>     To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>> (Interesting question, though - I wonder what a CPU might look like where you 
>> could just throw C source code at it, for instance :)
>
>Well, there *was* the AT&T Hobbit:
>
>	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T_Hobbit
>
>Not quite that, but still optimized for C, allegedly. Never worked with
>the architecture myself.
>

C was written for or about the PDP-11.  Just about all the C addressing 
modes and basic OPs are native for pdp11 addressing and many instructions.

Then we have the WD Pascal Microengine that basically was the implementation
of P-code in microcode.

There are machines that are coded for forth primitives directly.

I believe somewhere there was or is a a Java engine.

Memory says there was a Wang machine that directly executed Basic.

Generally it was not uncommon but most were lost to time.


Allison

>-- 
>------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
>  Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
>-- Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery. -- Jack Paar ----------------