On Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 09:50 ben via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> On 2021-08-25 1:25 a.m., Eric Smith via cctalk wrote: > > > > 432 GDP instructions were bit-aligned in an instruction object, and > > occupied anywhere from 6 to 344 bits. > > Did not the IBM 7030 try a similar idea. > All this work to replace a punched card. > Funny how records where simple on decimal computers > and are mess on binary ones. > The IBM 7030 "Stretch" and the TI TMS34010 and 34020 processors support integer data on arbitrary (unaligned) bit boundaries, but instructions and floating point data are required to be aligned. The 432 GDP uses unaligned, variable bit length instructions, but requires data to be byte-aligned, and access descriptors (which are object pointers and capabilities) to be 32-bit aligned