Path: csiph.com!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder3.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!news.misty.com!news.iecc.com!.POSTED!nerds-end From: "Charles Richmond" Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: Green Compiler ? Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 08:59:56 -0600 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 24 Sender: johnl@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <13-01-015@comp.compilers> References: <12-12-010@comp.compilers> <12-12-012@comp.compilers> <12-12-022@comp.compilers> <12-12-028@comp.compilers> <12-12-034@comp.compilers> <12-12-037@comp.compilers> <13-01-002@comp.compilers> <13-01-005@comp.compilers> <13-01-009@comp.compilers> Reply-To: "Charles Richmond" NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: leila.iecc.com 1357317756 1238 64.57.183.58 (4 Jan 2013 16:42:36 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 16:42:36 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: architecture, performance, history Posted-Date: 04 Jan 2013 11:42:36 EST X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: csiph.com comp.compilers:838 "glen herrmannsfeldt" wrote in message > Hans-Peter Diettrich wrote: > > [snip...] [snip...] [snip...] > >> For that reason some (Texas Instruments?) processors implemented a >> register stack, decades ago, with its stack pointer adjusted according >> to the number of registers used in a subroutine. This stack could be >> moved into the CPU nowadays, eliminating the need for saving registers >> in external memory. > > If I remember the TMS9900, the registers were in memory, so that > pointer just changed where in memory they were. The TMS9900 did allocate the register "file" in memory, with a pointer in the CPU to indicate the position of the register file. Some versions of the chip had some on-board RAM that could be used for register allocation. This RAM was faster to access and would speed along execution. -- numerist at aquaporin4 dot com