From c1b6601c5fdb5871308bbafac46e5f9fd148ddb7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:52:44 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] add overview --- openpower/isans_letter.mdwn | 22 +++++++++++++++++++--- 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/openpower/isans_letter.mdwn b/openpower/isans_letter.mdwn index c244df91c..9f22f5690 100644 --- a/openpower/isans_letter.mdwn +++ b/openpower/isans_letter.mdwn @@ -2,9 +2,25 @@ # Letter regarding ISAMUX / NS -This is a quick overview of the changes that we are proposing to the PowerPC -instruction set. - +This is a quick overview of the way that we would like to add changes +that we are proposing to the PowerPC instruction set. It is based on +a Open Standardisation of the way that existing "mode switches", +already found in the POWER instruction set, are added: + +* FPSCR's "NI" bit, setting non-IEEE754 FP mode +* MSR's "LE" bit (and associated HILE bit), setting little-endian mode +* MSR's "SF" bit, setting either 32-bit or 64-bit mode + +All of these are set by one instruction, that, once set, radically +changes the entire behaviour and characteristics of subsequent instructions. + +With these (and other) long-established precedents already in POWER, +there is therefore essentially conceptually nothing new about what we +propose: we simply seek that the process by which such "switching" is +added is formalised and standardised, such that we (and others) have +a clear, standards-non-disruptive, atomic and non-intrusive path to +extend the POWER ISA. + ## Overview The PowerPC Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is an abstract model of a -- 2.30.2