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Linn (the hifi people, not the drum machine people) made a CPU called "Rekursiv" (because they like odd spelling like that) which had objects and GC implemented
by Gordonjcp 4y ago
Linn (the hifi people, not the drum machine people) made a CPU called "Rekursiv" (because they like odd spelling like that) which had objects and GC implemented in hardware, on a couple of very large custom chips on VMEBus boards. These were horrendously expensive and were to be plugged into a Sun 3 box, making it all quite breathtakingly spendy.
When Sun brought out their SPARC hardware the language they run was ported to that, and ran about four times faster clock-for-clock.
You can gain some measure of the Rekursiv's success from the fact that the only complete machine known to still exist can be found on the bottom of the Forth and Clyde Canal, somewhere around the Possil Road Aqueduct.
- klelatti 4y agoGoodness! Did you have a hand in placing that machine there?
- Traubenfuchs 4y ago> because they like odd spelling like that The founders parents fled from Austria during Nazi times. In Austria we speak German. The English word "recursive" is "rekursiv" in German.
- Gordonjcp 4y agoJa, genau. Actually, his parents were Polish but moved to Austria. Fascinating guy.
- mschaef 4y agoI can't imagine the thought process by which a niche Hi-Fi company decides the best way to automate their production system is to custom develop a totally new class of CPU... which is why I am glad there are at least a few people in the world that make the attempt. (This whole thing also reminds me of the Intel 432... had some similar properties)
- CyberDildonics 4y agoWhat does it mean to have "objects" implemented in hardware?