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New Processor Design from Sun Microsystems
IQ writes "This NYTimes article discusses Sun's latest chip, known as Microprocessor Architecture for Java Computing or MAJC. Looks like a huge, fast MultiDiePackage with a lotta chips.
" Fits in well with Sun's continuing attempt to route around Intel-these chips are look like they are philosphically aligned with Jini. More specs will be coming out later on this month. (Free login required @ NYT).
I'm seeing a lot of posts saying that chips designed for a specific language are a Bad Thing. I tend to agree.
BUT I think this argument overlooks something important. A Java chip would not interpret Java at the brace-and-semicolon level, it would read Java bytecodes. Java bytecodes are basically machine language for a microprocessor that exists only in software. It is only logical to make such a chip in hardware eventually.
Furthermore, if the specs for a "Java chip" are open, what is to keep compiler writers from implementing back-ends which write Java bytecodes? I'm not a compiler writer, but it seems like it would be quite possible to implement, for example, a C or C++ compiler which writes Java bytecodes instead of x86/68000/Alpha/Sparc/whatever machine code. Such a compiler would make the "Java chip" usable by people who don't like writing Java.
I seem to recall seeing at least one compiler that takes a non-Java language (Perl, I think) and compiles it to Java bytecodes. Also, I know there is one regular slashdot reader who is doing Java programming at the assembly level -- any comments? If a Java chip sees widespread use, anything-to-bytecode compilers would seem inevitable.
Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
For quite some time now, we've all watched the worldwide criticism of specialized hardware that implements a more abstract instruction set, lisp, java, smalltalk (not sure if the latter actually was turned into hardware), etc. Why is the criticism so harsh? I've not yet really seen anyone GIVE IT A CHANCE before discarding it as a toy. First, a disclaimer: I happen to think java is the best language (ok, toolkit, platform, etc.) that's come around in a long time for general-purpose programming (NOT for operating systems, but hear me out here...). Like it or not, the vast majority (i'd venture a guess at 90%) of software written is NOT (and need not be) of operating system calibre in terms of robustness, quality, performance, maintainability, etc. In many cases, the life expectancy of the software is far too short, because needs, requirements, etc. change very quickly, to warrant the additional time spent in development. Now, remember, i'm a purist by heart, but i do have a pragmatic side to me too. Occationally, the costs just don't justify the benefits. Again, like it or not, i have worked with a great many people that are under too much pressure, lack the skills, or simply don't care enough about the quality of their work to do a good enough job with an "easy" language, let alone one that lets them shoot their foot even more effectively... Anyone who truly thinks that java is "too slow" on modern hardware with modern dynamic compilation technolgies really does need to do a bit more experimentation on their own. There are few problems that i've needed to solve in the last few years that i couldn't *easily* solve with Java, and never did i think that the quality or performance suffered (especially now with heuristic compilers). Remember now, I wasn't building 30,000 user systems, maybe 3,000. Is it the best tool for *every* job? Hell no. Does it solve some things VERY effectively? Absolutely. Would i still write any software requiring the utmost performance in c or c++? Hell yes. As history has taught me, profiling my code shows that 90% of my time is spent in 5% of the software. Again, what percentage of the software I've written has requirements demanding utmost performance? less than 5 percent. Now, i'm biased, that's clear. But, seeing in the first 3 posts, not one constructive thing could be said, i felt it my duty to *try* and present a more pragmatic opinion... i, personally, would LOVE to take a shot at using a higher-level-of-abstraction instruction set, just to see for myself whether or not they're of utility. i don't have the experience with them to either condemn or praise them. i wish the same humility were infectious. as always, my opinions are mine alone, i speak for only myself, and i apologize if i offend. Peter