4-2 Microprogramming

An Introduction to Microprogramming a Definition of Microprogramming Status of Microprogramming the Future Design Considerations in the Application of Microprogramming

This report surveys promising applications of microprogramming. Emphasis is on the value of microprogramming as a tool which permits computer users to modify the architecture of a general-purpose machine to better match a particular set of requirements. Factors are discussed which affect the choice of microprogramming over hardware and software in the design and implementation of computer-based...

A Microprogramming Animation

This paper describes a successful project using computer animation to teach the concepts of microprogramming to lower division computer science majors. The students write a simulator for the Mic-1 horizontal microcontroller described in the book Structured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum. The simulation is enhanced by the use of a graphical representation of the machine to animate the...

A Brief History of Microprogramming

A processing unit in a computer system is composed of a data path and a control unit. The data path includes registers, function units such as ALUs (arithmetic and logic units) and shifters, interface units for main memory and/or I/O busses, and internal processor busses. The control unit governs the series of steps taken by the data path during the execution of a user-visible instruction, or m...

Trends in Microprogramming: A Second Reading

Microprogramming is a rapidly emerging technology for the implementation of the control section of modem digital processing systems. An assessment was made of this approach to control unit design three years ago in a series of papers derived from the Third Annual Workshop on Microprogramming and published as a special issue of this TRANSACTIONS. This technology has matured in the ensuing three ...

Microprogramming: An Introduction and a Viewpoint