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The role of instruction sequencing in structured microprogramming

Published:01 October 1973Publication History
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Abstract

The current literature is filled with descriptions of various microprogrammed processors and discussions of the improvements in performance that can be realized through microprogramming. Thus, Tucker and Flynn [1] describe a dynamically microprogrammed processor and give several examples of problem-oriented programming in which the performance of the microcode was much better than that of assembly language code (System/360, normalized technology). Recently, Abd-alla and Karlgaard [2] have developed an algorithm for the synthesis of applications-oriented microcode for a dynamically microprogrammed computer. Their paper gives examples of problem-oriented architectures (realized through specialized instruction sets) which have much better performance than the corresponding general purpose architectures. This trend toward realizing specialized computer systems by means of writable control store probably means that more people will be writing microcode in the future. In particular, it seems worthwhile to consider the relation of the instruction sequencing functions of a given machine to both the ease of writing correct microcode and the size of control memory required for that machine. So far there seems to have been little or no discussion of this topic in the literature [3].

References

  1. Tucker, A. B., and Flynn, M. J., "Dynamic Microprogramming: Processor Organization and Programming," Comm. of the ACM, 14 (April 1971), pp. 240--250. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  2. Abd-alla, A. M., and Karlgaard, D. C., "The Heuristic Synthesis of Applications-Oriented Microcode", Sixth Workshop on Microprogramming, College Park, Maryland (Sept. 1973) (Preprints). Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  3. Jones, L. H., et. al., "An Annotated Bibliography on Microprogramming-I, and II," SIGMICRO Newsletter, 3 (July 1972) No. 2, pp. 39--55; and 4 (July 1973) No. 2. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  4. Roberts, J. D., Jr., Ihnat, J., and Smith, W. R., Jr., "Microprogrammed Control Unit (MCU) Programming Reference Manual," SIGMICRO Newsletter, 3 (Oct. 1972), No. 3, pp. 18--57.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  5. Mills, Harlan, "Mathematical Foundations for Structured Programming," IBM Research Report FSC 72-6012 (February 1972).Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  6. Reigel, E. W., Faber, U., and Fisher, D. A., "The Interpreter--A Microprogrammable Building Block System," AFIPS Conference Proceedings, 40, (SJCC 1972), pp. 705--723.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  7. Fisher, D. A., "Control Structures for Programming Languages," Ph. D. Dissertation, Carnegie-Mellon University, May 1970. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library

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  • Published in

    cover image ACM SIGMICRO Newsletter
    ACM SIGMICRO Newsletter  Volume 4, Issue 3
    October 1973
    53 pages
    ISSN:1050-916X
    DOI:10.1145/1217132
    Issue’s Table of Contents

    Copyright © 1973 Author

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    Association for Computing Machinery

    New York, NY, United States

    Publication History

    • Published: 1 October 1973

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