[clug] assembly performance

[Adrian Blake]

This is a question about microprocessor architecture.

10 or 20 years ago assembly code addressed physical hardware, registers 
ALUs and alike with an underlying simple microcode.

This has changed. but to what extent?

Does assembly code still operate on the physical hardware or is it  a 
virtual machine with one or more layers of microcode? What are the 
performance penalties if any?

-- 
Adrian Blake
Molonglo Radio Observatory
University of Sydney
1152 Hoskinstown Rd
Bungendore 2621
ph. 02 62382262  mobile 0407 232 978

http://www.molonglo.physics.usyd.edu.au