Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
The First Microprocessor: F-14 Central Air Data Computer [video] (youtube.com)
36 points by dtx1 7 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 5 comments



The way I understood the MP944 setup, on every cycle you can execute three compound operations in parallel: add+clip, add+mul, and add+div. There is no jump so program flow is just one big loop. You had three separate instruction lists in the ROM, one for each pipeline. I like how they designed modular parts so they could adjust the pipeline configuration to their needs by just wiring the chips differently.

The instruction bits and 20 bit input numbers were set by hand. Can you fathom the amount of deliberation that went into programming such a system? Here I am gluing API calls together that process a bunch of arrays in cloud storage. I'm working four layers above HTTP serialization.


Incredibly cool pipelined data streaming architecture here. Just absolutely absurdly cool system.

There's a ton of fluff & setup to the video that did nothing for me. If you actually want to hear about the computer, skip to 29m mark.


There's a ton of fluff...

That is a bit unkind, anyway, there are chapters in the video description including the one titled "System architecture"


Yeah, I could have said it differently & probably should jave.

The background on what the F-14 Tomcat was, the comparison to the 4004 cpu: those didn't have a ton of value to me personally. I was vaguely aware of a lot of that.

The mp944 was an insane, complex, gorgeous system. Getting into how it worked was fantastically engrossing to me.


can you show me your videws




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: