Vitaliy wrote:
> I guess one could make the old RISC argument that it's better to have a
> handful of highly optimized commands, and let compilers replace the
> microcode.

One could, but that would be missing the point.  A compiler insulates you
from the instruction set, whether it is RISC or CISC or something in
between.

The real driver for RISC versus CISC is the relative speed and cost of logic
gates versus instruction memory.  RISC and CISC have gone back and forth as
this ratio has changed.  I'm sure new technologies will continue to change
the tradeoff and RISC versus CISC will be with us for a long time.  There is
nothing inherently better about either, only that one may be a better fit
for the technology and objectives of a particular processor.


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