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From: jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos)
Newsgroups: net.arch
Subject: Re: flexible-instruction-set machines
Message-ID: <1136@peora.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Jun-85 08:18:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: peora.1136
Posted: Mon Jun 24 08:18:22 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 06:21:21 EDT
References: <1452@ecsvax.UUCP>, <290009@acf4.UUCP> <5694@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: Perkin-Elmer SDC, Orlando, Fl.
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> Actually, my impression was that most everyone had been discouraged by
> the B1700's flaws.

This is most certainly untrue!  Actually, before I got involved in my
research on multiprocessor memory primitives, I was very actively involved
in this area of research.

It is unfortunate that the popular interest in RISC machines has so obscured
the equally active (in fact, possibly more widespread) research in the
CISC machines.

But, if you want to see what is going on, just read the proceedings of one
of the annual Conferences on Microprogramming, MICRO-n, where n is a number
around 18 or so at present, I think (when I published in it it was 14).

There is quite a lot of research going on.  Some of the most interesting is
in "vertical migration"; this involves programs which analyze the usage of
instruction sequences in existing programs, and migrate portions of the
programs into microcode, based on various optimization criteria.

Besides, I don't see where the complaints against the B1700 come from.
When I was an undergraduate, I worked with people who had been around since
the days of the early IBM machines; and I recall how many of them very
fondly remembered the B1700. (In fact, the manager of the DP shop at the
college I attended often complained that the newer machines didn't have
this or that feature of the B1700.) However, I have no experience with it,
so I can hardly judge that myself.
-- 
Shyy-Anzr:  J. Eric Roskos
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