5 ms·
This isn’t what the comment I replied to was suggesting. Also, I can see there is a case for using a simple modern design such as Cortex-M as a base but - as t
by klelatti 3y ago
This isn’t what the comment I replied to was suggesting.
Also, I can see there is a case for using a simple modern design such as Cortex-M as a base but - as the peer comment also says - it’s really not the case that a Cortex M7 is conceptually simpler than a 8-bit design.
- adrian_b 3y agoProgramming in assembly language a Cortex-M7 for doing any non-trivial task is much easier than writing an equivalent program for a Zilog Z80 or a MOS Technology 6502 or any other classic 8-bit CPU. For most operations that can be done in one machine instruction on a 32-bit CPU like Cortex-M7 (which also includes support for floating-point numbers), you need to write a complex sequence of instructions for 8-bit CPUs like Z80, 6502 and the like, where you do not have even a multiplication instruction, much less more complex operations. To be able to write performant programs on ancient 8-bit CPUs requires much more knowledge and experience than on modern 32-bit CPUs, because you need to implement in software many algorithms for things that are done in hardware on the modern CPUs.
- klelatti 3y ago> To be able to write performant programs Wait we’re teaching kids to write performant assembly language?
- BlueTemplar 3y agoYeah, there's another thing that is bugging me a bit about all this... 8-bit basically means ASCII when you deal with text (doesn't it ?) - how do you teach middle-schoolers that don't use a latin-based alphabet in their native tongue ??
- tayo42 3y agoDoesn't 8 bit of just mean the size of the possible address space. When you encode something more complex then ascii you use 1-4 consecutive bytes, the encoding in the byte tells you if you need to look at the next.
- acuozzo 3y agocodepages?
- BlueTemplar 3y agoI guess, but ew.