Computers

References, links to Forth and stack machines in various technologies.

Stack-based processors, 5-bit words, 25 instructions, 7000 transistors, 80 MIPS, 50 milliwatts, low cost; designed by Chuck Moore, creator of Forth programming language.

Benefits: simple, easily pipelined, useful in self-clocked systems, very flexible and optimizable, good memory access, highly. Problems: awkward to program. [cowlark.com]

Course on minimal processors: Guided Exploration of two FPGA-based CPU Designs, led by John Rible.

Philip J. Koopman, Jr., CMU page. Reports, studies, and links. Compares: CISC, RISC, Stack systems; 2 and 3 stack systems.

By Philip J. Koopman, Jr; Ellis Horwood, 1989, ISBN 0470214678. Read on-line, or download in formats: HTML, PDF, zip file. First book to explore a new breed of stack computers led by introduction of Novix NC4016. [Free]

Embedded systems consultant for small (8/16-bit) and distributed microprocessor systems. Contract hardware and software development for most microcontrollers. Specialist: Forth, Assembly, C. By Bradford J. Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Explains extreme, simple RISC, with only one instruction, move memory to memory; yet it is useful. Revision of paper first published in ACM Computer Architecture News.

Online encyclopedia article about this single machine language opcode, with links to related articles.

Online encyclopedia article about this approach to computer architecture.