Comparing the Performance of KiR and C on the Multiple Stack Architecture Fast
Next: Introduction
Comparing the Performance of KiR and C on the Multiple Stack Architecture Fast
Claus Aßmann
Abstract:
This paper describes some experiences with
the processor architecture Fast which is tailored
to the needs of executing untyped functional languages.
The architecture is similar to those of conventional RISC processors,
though some features have been added
and others have been slightly modified.
In order to support a fast subroutine call mechanism and efficient parameter passing,
our architecture uses a system of four stacks, of which two are easily interchangeable.
It also supports runtime type-checking by means of operand tags
which are validated during instruction execution.
Fast is a 40-bit RISC processor architecture with
register-to-register,
load/store,
call and conditional branch instructions
that allow for an efficient implementation of functional
(or function-based) languages.
To demonstrate the suitability of the architecture even for other languages,
a C compiler has been written for it.
We compare the performance of
programs written in C and in our functional language KiR on Fast.
ca@informatik.uni-kiel.de