In the days before computers usually used off-the-shelf CPU chips, people who needed a CPU often used something called “bitslice.” The idea was to have a building block chip that needed some ...

This chapter introduces the basics of the MIPS assembly language. Assembly language statements can either instruct the processor to perform a task, or direct the assembler during the assembly process.

We all probably know that for ultimate control and maximum performance, you need assembly language. No matter how good your compiler is, you’ll almost always be able to do better by using your human ...

JNI is essential to the implementation of Java, since the JVM needs to interact with the native platform to implement some of its functionality. Apart from that, however, use of Java classes can often ...

Once we’ve built a computer, the next step is to develop an assembly language and then an assembler that can assemble our programs. In my previous column, we introduced the concept of the big-endian ...

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this two-part mini-series, odd ideas are popping in and out of my head all the time, and every now and then I share my ponderings with the readers of Programmable Logic ...

A programming language that is one step away from machine language. Each assembly language statement is translated into a machine instruction by the assembler. Programmers must be well versed in the ...