Price, Dick Berkeley's Patterson predicts exciting
times. (University of California at Berkeley's David A. Patterson
compares microprocessor architectures) (Micro View) (Column)
IEEE Micro v13, n4 (August, 1993):4 (3 pages).
Pub type:
Column
Abstract: University of California at
Berkeley professor David A Patterson argues Intel 's Pentium is not
the best existing microprocessor architecture. Patterson coined the
term RISC, for reduced instruction-set computing, over ten years ago.
He is a leader in RISC development and casts a relatively cynical eye
on the newest complex instruction-set computer processor, the Pentium.
While Pentium is important, the forthcoming PowerPC, a RISC processor,
is also worthy of attention. Patterson believe the success of Intel's
architecture is largely due to IBM's inclusion of the processors in
its 1981 PC, and that this choice has influenced the market ever
since. RISC is widely considered a better design and most processor
manufacturers, with the exception of Intel, have changed to it.
Patterson believes change brings opportunity to the computer arena and
that specialization will hinder computer engineers in the future.