1.5. Instruction Set Architectures
An instruction set architecture (ISA) abstracts the interface between a computer's hardware and the lowest-level software for the programmer or compiler-writer. Thorough knowledge of an ISA involves not only the appropriate ways to operate the programmer-accessible registers used for calculations and storage of intermediate results, but also how to move data between those registers and memory, storage, or other attached devices. With knowledge of a particular ISA, one knows in principle what the computer can do and—as we shall sketch out in this book—what simple studies to conduct when seeking improved performance with particular implementations.
A well-conceived ISA leaves considerable latitude for implementations ...
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