"4. Support high-level languages (HLL). An explanation of the degree of support follows. Our intention is always to use high-level languages with RISC I." That

"4. Support high-level languages (HLL). An explanation of the degree of support follows. Our intention is always to use high-level languages with RISC I." That doesn't say anything about making it difficult to use assembly language. It speaks only to making it UNNECESSARY, to the largest extent practical. Maybe you weren't around at the time, but I remember very clearly the literature on the software crisis and the VAX being designed to make assembly language programming as productive as possible, EVEN at the expense of raw machine speed (the VAX 11/780 was slower than the PDP 11/70), because no one trusted the performance of high level languages. The above aim of RISC was to make a machine fast enough and easy enough for compilers to use effectively that there would seldom be a reason to move out of the more productive high level language.