A microprogrammed implementation of an architecture simulation language
William C. Hopkins, Gary Davidian · ACM SIGMICRO newsletter/SIGMICRO newsletter/SIGMICRO, TCMICRO newsletter · 1977
A “Machine Representation Language” (MRL), a tool for the evaluation and simulation of the instruction sets of computers, was designed for research in computer architecture. A novel hypothetical machine to perform the simulation uses an acyclic directed graph as its machine language. MRL requires an expandable associative memory and a recursive execution environment; the research requires extensive instrumentation of the simulation. A microprogrammed implementation satisfying these requirements was completed on the Burroughs B1700 within an academic semester. Comparisons of implementation techniques and performance between the microprogrammed system and a developmental system using Snobol-4 show the utility and efficiency of the approach.