"Nobody programs in machine language" (was: ...)

From: Andy Holt <andyh_at_andyh-rayleigh.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Tue Jun 22 06:39:30 2004

> > How much on other kinds of processors? (RISC)
>
> That should be covered in another class: computer architecture.

I don't see how the RISC vs CISC (vs VLIW vs ...) architectural question has
any chance of being meaningfully put without a reasonable knowledge of the
concepts of assembly language. Ideally teach a simple and restrictive
assembly language like that for the PIC processors - this gives a framework
for a digression on more complex cases like the x86 assembly ... and also
for the architectures that are essentially impractical to program by hand in
assembly (stack oriented or modern overlapped RISC).
Assembly Language and (processor) Architecture is probably best taught as
one course - or as two modules with AL being a prerequisite for
(processor+system) Architecture.

Andy
Received on Tue Jun 22 2004 - 06:39:30 BST