ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the terminology and basic functions of a simple but complete computer, mainly from a programmer’s (user’s) point of view. We call the simple hypothetical computer a simple computer (ASC). Although ASC appears very primitive in comparison with any commercially available machine, its organization reects the basic structure of the most modern computers. The instruction set is limited but complete enough to write powerful programs. Assembly language programming and understanding of assembly process are a must for a system designer. We will not outline the trade-offs involved in selecting the architectural features of a machine in this chapter. Subsequent chapters of this book, however, deal with such trade-offs. The detailed hardware design of ASC is provided in Chapter 6. Chapters 7 through 16 examine selected architectural attributes of commercially available computer systems.
