Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!i2pn.org!i2pn2.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: mitchalsup@aol.com (MitchAlsup1) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Stealing a Great Idea from the 6600 Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:01:35 +0000 Organization: Rocksolid Light Message-ID: References: <44fdd1209496c66ba18e425370a8b50d@www.novabbs.org> <2024Apr26.173457@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Info: i2pn2.org; logging-data="2462455"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@i2pn2.org"; posting-account="65wTazMNTleAJDh/pRqmKE7ADni/0wesT78+pyiDW8A"; User-Agent: Rocksolid Light X-Rslight-Posting-User: ac58ceb75ea22753186dae54d967fed894c3dce8 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 4.0.0 X-Rslight-Site: $2y$10$YiFyTm4J6ktmxdc50Y8s3umVGQXP0ca/.AFm3.ei1JykIo.pS7FQq Bytes: 2846 Lines: 36 Anton Ertl wrote: > mitchalsup@aol.com (MitchAlsup1) writes: >>What we need is ~16-bit displacements where 82½%-91¼% are positive. > What are these funny numbers about? In typical usages in MY 66000 ISA one needs only 18 DW of negative addressing and we have a 16-bit displacement. So, technically it might get by at the 99% level with -32..+65500. Other usages might need a few more on the negative end of things so 1/8..1/16 in the negative direction, 7/8..15/16 in the positive. > Do you mean that you want number ranges like -11468..54067 (82.5% > positive) or -5734..59801 (91.25% positive)? Which one of those? And > why not, say -8192..57343 (87.5% positive)? Roughly. >>How does one use a frame pointer without negative displacements ?? > You let it point to the lowest address you want to access. That moves > the problem to unwinding frame pointer chains where the unwinder does > not know the frame-specific difference between the frame pointer and > the pointer of the next frame. > An alternative is to have a frame-independent difference that leaves > enough room that, say 90% (or 99%, or whatever) of the frames don't > need negative offsets from that frame. > Likewise, if you have signed displacements, and are unhappy about the > skewed usage, you can let the frame pointer point at an offset from > the pointer to the next fram such that the usage is less skewed. Such a hassle.... > - anton