The MMIX Supplement: Supplement to The Art of Computer Programming Volumes 1, 2, 3 by Donald E. Knuth

PREFACE

TRANSLATIONS are made to bring important works of literature closer to those reading—and thinking—in a different language. The challenge of translating is finding new words, phrases, or modes of expression without changing what was said before. An easy task, you may think, when the translation asks only for replacing one programming language with another. Wouldn’t a simple compiler suffice to do the job? The answer is Yes, as long as the translated programs are intended to be executed by a machine; the answer is No, if the translated programs are intended to explain concepts, ideas, limitations, tricks, and techniques to a human reader. The Art of Computer Programming by Donald E. Knuth starts out by describing the “process of preparing ...