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From: usenet@abnjh.UUCP (usenet)
Newsgroups: net.arch
Subject: Re: looking for stack machines
Message-ID: <480@abnjh.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 12:44:51 EST
Article-I.D.: abnjh.480
Posted: Thu Feb 23 12:44:51 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Feb-84 02:28:42 EST
References: <3523@tekecs.UUCP>
Organization: ATTIS, NJ
Lines: 20

The 'classic' stack machine(s) is (are) the Burroughs B5000 and its
descendants, the B5500, B6500, B6700, etc.  Get a reference manual for
one of them and read it.  The operating system (called 'MCP' -- no
kidding -- stands for Master Control Program) for them was programmed
in Algol 60 (spruced up a bit for systems programming, but basicly
Algol.)  The compiler did nearly one for one translation of Algol 60
statements into machine instructions.  The B5000 had virtual memory
long before IBM even heard of the word.  That company has been doing
things right for a very long time.  Incidentally, their lower end
machines stand in the same relation to COBOL as the high end machines
do for Algol.

Another stack machine of some fame is the Pascal P-code
pseudo-machine.  Western Digital makes a chip set that has P-code as
its machine language.  They package the chip set as a micro and call it
the 'Pascal Engine.'  It is said to run the UCSD system at very
acceptable speed.

Rick Thomas
ihnp4!abnjh!usenet  or  ihnp4!abnji!rbt