My main project is to create an executable spec of the Intel Architecture but, every now and then, I get to take a broader look at ISA specifications and think about the strengths and weaknesses of other ISA specs: what makes them work well; and what techniques they could borrow from other specifications. Earlier this month, someone asked me for my thoughts on the RISC-V specification and I thought that it would be useful to share what I found out.| alastairreid.github.io
Programming languages provide modules as a way of splitting large programs up into small, separate pieces. Modules enable information hiding that prevents one part of the program from using and becoming dependent on some internal detail of how other parts of the program are implemented. Almost every major language designed in the last 50 years has some form of module system.| alastairreid.github.io