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From: mitchalsup@aol.com (MitchAlsup1)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Keeping other stuff with addresses
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2024 19:22:04 +0000
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On Tue, 3 Dec 2024 18:19:51 +0000, John Levine wrote:

> According to Stefan Monnier  <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>:
>>> another way to steal bits is over alignment.
>>
>>Yup.  I keep lamenting that Alpha didn't go for bit-addressed memory,
>>which would have given us 3 extra free bits from alignment (as well as
>>allowing pointers to bits and bitfields).
>
> I thought STRETCH persuaded people that bit addressable memory was a bad
> idea.

With the address space STRETCH had bit addressability IS a VERY bad
Idea.

We now have people (again) using the top bits of pointers for "special
things".

Thus the Ferris wheel of invention is caught in a loop.