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Building a 32-Bit, One-Instruction Computer
Hugh Pickens writes "The advantages of RISC are well known — simplifying the CPU core by reducing the complexity of the instruction set allows faster speeds, more registers, and pipelining to provide the appearance of single-cycle execution. Al Williams writes in Dr Dobbs about taking RISC to its logical conclusion by designing a functional computer called One-Der with only a single simple instruction — a 32-bit Transfer Triggered Architecture (TTA) CPU that operates at roughly 10 MIPS. 'When I tell this story in person, people are usually squirming with the inevitable question: What's the one instruction?' writes Williams. 'It turns out there's several ways to construct a single instruction CPU, but the method I had stumbled on does everything via a move instruction (hence the name, "Transfer Triggered Architecture").' The CPU is implemented on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device and the prototype works on a 'Spartan 3 Starter Board' with an XS3C1000 device available from Digilent that has the equivalent of about 1,000,000 logic gates, costing between $100 and $200. 'Applications that can benefit from custom instruction in hardware — things like digital signal processing, for example — are ideal for One-Der since you can implement parts of your algorithm in hardware and then easily integrate those parts with the CPU.'"
Everyone attack him before he wins this round of Age of Empires. Quickly, he's probably low on resources right now.
My work here is dung.
I vote for GOTO as the only instruction.
That would be hilarious.
Cheers
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Why, DWIW (Do What I Want), of course.
I remember hearing about building a one instruction computer back in engineering school. The one I heard about was based on Subtract and Branch if Not Equal. My roommate at the time figured it ought to be a way to get a very high clock rate. It seems like he found a proof in a hoary old book that such a computer was in fact Turing complete. I'm sure I'll get flamed for posting a vague recollection but. . . here it is.
AA A AA AAAA A AAA AA A A AA A A AAA A A AAAA AAA AAAA
Compile error. Instruction "A" missing after "A".
nop
... and then it does dead code elimination, right?
Press the key to continue.
All this talk about 13th Base makes me jealous, 'cause I've never even got to 2nd Base yet. I'll have to die first and go to heaven before I'll get to 13th Base with a chick.
This thread can be categorized as 0xNONEOFTHISISFUNNY
...if the one instruction is NOP. He could easily crack the petanop barrier.
This thread can be categorized as 0xNONEOFTHISISFUNNY
I don't get it.
That's not a valid hexadecimal number.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff