6-2. Find First String of 1-Bits of a Given Length
The problem here is to search a word in a register for the first string of 1-bits of a given length n or longer, and to return its position, with some special indication if no such string exists. Variants are to return only the yes/no indication, and to locate the first string of exactly n 1-bits. This problem has application in disk-allocation programs, particularly for disk compaction (rearranging data on a disk so that all blocks used to store a file are contiguous). The problem was suggested to me by Albert Chang, who pointed out that it is one of the uses for the number of leading zeros instruction.
We assume here that the number of leading zeros instruction, or a suitable subroutine for ...
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