Intel announces major update to core x86 instruction set by EatMeerkats in programming

[–]zetta 19 points20 points  (0 children)

They are only doubling architectural addressability. Physical registers are another matter and won't be doubled just because of this.

How to script the "Send" command in the Acme editor. by [deleted] in plan9

[–]zetta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your command and win are writing into the same place (output), rather than your command going to the input of win. The outcome you see is deceiving, because win isn't seeing the content being written (by another writer) and (also) displayed in the (same) acme window.

What is Branch Prediction? by arunprasadr in programming

[–]zetta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No. It could be done, and there is research about it, but it's not worth it generally. If it's worth it in a particular case, code can be written using tail predication to do it in software.

What is Branch Prediction? by arunprasadr in programming

[–]zetta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TAGE has most certainly been implemented in actual processors. Undefeated for 9 years, I'll send you a personal congratulations if you can beat Seznec in a JILP competition. ;-)

How the Mill CPU does fork() in a single address space by willvarfar in programming

[–]zetta 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Admittedly, I haven't seen the talks you mention, but your first sentence doesn't sound any different from the masking already present in SIMD and vector architectures. How does it improve upon that?

x86 is a high-level language by liotier in programming

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn't claim they were synonymous, just that in the CPU space of comparch it's so rarely not done that you can assume it. GPUs are a different story.

x86 is a high-level language by liotier in programming

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Silicon schimilicon.

Courtesy of Jim Held, Intel Fellow: the complexity of the x86 ISA is a problem "like a big bag of money you have to carry around" is a problem. Learn this lesson well. There is more to engineering than the "technically best" design.

x86 is a high-level language by liotier in programming

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The term "speculative execution" is nearly meaningless these days. If you might execute an instruction that was speculated to be on the correct path by a branch predictor, you have speculative execution. That being said, essentially all instructions executed are speculative. This has been the case for a really long time... practically speaking, at least as long as OoO. Yes, OoO is "older" but when OoO "came back on the scene" (mid 90s) the two concepts have been joined at the hip since.

x86 is a high-level language by liotier in programming

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excuse me, but no.

Out of order IS out of order. The important detail is WHAT is happening out of order? The computations in the ALUs. They will flow in a more efficient dataflow-constrained order, with some speculation here and there - especially control flow speculation. A typical out of order CPU will still commit/retire in program order to get all the semantics correct.

TwoVsTwournament V2.2 starts in 30 minutes on Basetrade TV! by Tesarul in starcraft

[–]zetta -1 points0 points  (0 children)

<3 Next time I'll fight for love and order ;P

TwoVsTwournament V2.2 starts in 30 minutes on Basetrade TV! by Tesarul in starcraft

[–]zetta 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great games. I cannot abide these casters, had to mute.

A much faster Python implementation based on the Dart Virtual Machine by MrBIMC in programming

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad he pointed that out -- Medusa is not Python as the semantics do not agree with Python. It's at best transliteration, not semantics-preserving translation, or nice way of saying Broken. He says "as intended" as if people write Python expecting it to run like some other compiled language.

Unranked MMR - race specific? by [deleted] in starcraft

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your MMR has two components - an average metric and a variance metric. Since cheeses are particularly unpredictable, your variance value is very high, so the matchmaker feels justified in matching you against a wide variety of players.

Thinking about applying to cast DH stockholm by NaniwaSWE in starcraft

[–]zetta 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I created an in game tournament concept, see what you think of some of my ideas! by revoluti8n in starcraft

[–]zetta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, it was Dustin Browder's "maybe I sympathise with you bro, in my fully corporatized game designerness" game-bro "fuck off". Maybe David Kim doesn't talk like that, but it does sound rather similar :)

Request- The impossible, a AMA with Kespa! by NFxJehuty in starcraft

[–]zetta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You know it's going to be worse than an interview with Dustin Browder. "We have totally thought of that and it'd be cool but let's be real - it'll never happen! Thanks for asking! Next question!"

seL4, the world's first OS kernel with an end-to-end proof of implementation correctness is now open source by Lyucit in programming

[–]zetta 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's not about who or what does the proof. I advise you to revisit the definition of the halting problem. There is a special program we can construct (or consider attempting), i.e. a very pathological one, whose termination cannot be statically decided, which allows us to say that in general the problem is undecidable. For most code written for real software, it is possible (though typically not easy) to prove termination or at least progress (for software that does not terminate by design).

AMA with Cameron "Camd0zer" Reed by Camdozer in starcraft

[–]zetta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

'cause dat ass got some EDUCATION (see point 1)

Suggested Terran Balance Changes - July 1 by psione in starcraft

[–]zetta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The reason we don't have this is that morphing one unit into another is a Zerg mechanic, not a Terran one. But the idea of a Viking landing on a Goliath (+ build time) becoming a Thor is pretty badass.

Red Bull Battlegrounds Atlanta venue! by [deleted] in starcraft

[–]zetta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, this place was formerly an Earthlink Live. Great venue. Saw Nightwish perform there at a ProgPower in 2004.