Re: Goto and simulating processors

[billwolf@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,)]

From article <8901182220.AA10372@ti.com>, by linnig@skvax1.csc.ti.com:
> You might want to SIMULATE the execution of a microcode processor by
> translating the microcode into Ada. The compiled Ada code would execute
> much faster than it would if you interpreted the microcode each line at
> runtime. Such simulated execution could be combined with the Ada code for
> the controlling scalar processor to simulate the entire system. If the
> microcode contained GOTO's, then the microcode GOTO could be translated
> directly to an Ada GOTO.

     Any reason you can't use pragma INTERFACE, to C for example?

     (We're assuming efficiency is SOOOO critical that we absolutely
      must have the goto...)

> Such a simulation would also be easy to port to another machine (assuming
> an Ada compiler existed on that machine).

     True, but being able to port a very narrowly defined application
     area is a very small benefit compared to the big negatives presented
     by the use of the GOTO construct.  Besides, I don't think you'll find 
     much non-standardization with respect to the GOTO; either you
     have it or you don't, and it's so easy to provide that it's rarely,
     if ever, omitted from languages which provide it.  C or some other
     low-level language would be a more appropriate choice for what has
     got to be the lowest-level application imaginable...



                                             Bill Wolfe

                                      wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu