The Importance of Terminology's Quality

[norseman]

Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> Paul Wallich wrote:
>> Martin Gregorie wrote:
>>> On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:56:09 +0000, sln wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:11:48 -0500, rpw3 at rpw3.org (Rob Warnock) wrote:
>>>>> sln at netherlands.com> wrote:


...(snip)

> I thought microcode was relative well defined as being the software
> used to implement instructions that were not fully implemented in
> hardware.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcode does not make me think otherwise.
> 
> Arne
> -- 
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
> 

========================
Right on. Microcode is the CPU's macro(s).
           Machine language is the bit patterns that cause whatever.
             The CPU designer decides these.
           Assembly is the human memory aid nmenonices assigned to the 

             bit patterns. This allows re-assigning bit patterns to the
             nmenonices when changing designers.  An Assembler usually
             has a few computing aids so the poor human doesn't have to
             keep using his fingers to decide the address of or distance
             to something. :)  Later models of Assemblers try to emulate
             a high level compiler in terms of added functions supplied.
             At any rate: Assembly is the nmenonices , Assembler is the
             program that converts the nmenonices to machine code.

          ld a,02h
          ld b,1Ah
          Call OS

          0E021E1ACD20      (or z0: db 0E021E1ACD20h  for direct implant)

          0000111000000010000011110000110101100110100100000

On the Z80:
The first set is Assembly
The second is the hexadecimal version of the Assembly
The third is the machine language it generates represented in binary.
   (Do you really want to write Excel solely in machine language? You do
    realize the program would be completely non-portable?)

On a Televideo screen this is the CLEAR SCREEN command.  It was the 
standard clear screen for most terminals of the CP/M days.  One could 
simply use the debugger, type in the hex and save as z.com.  Then when 
one typed z<cr> the jumbled up screen cleared to system prompt in the 
upper left.
(Naturally Microsoft couldn't allow the standards long in use so today 
this would be stated as CLS<ENTER>. :)

Question:  What does any of this have to do with:
                  The Importance of Terminology's Quality
when using Webster to define the words in the above line?


Been fun.

Steve
norseman at hughes.net