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#+title: VM Specification
#+author: Aryadev Chavali
#+description: A specification of instructions for the virtual machine
#+date: 2023-11-02
* WIP Data types
There are 3 main data types of the virtual machine. They are all
unsigned. There exist signed versions of these data types, though
there is no difference in terms of bytecode between them. For an
unsigned type <T> the signed version is simply S_<T>.
|-------+------|
| Name | Bits |
|-------+------|
| Byte | 8 |
| HWord | 32 |
| Word | 64 |
|-------+------|
* WIP Instructions
An instruction for the virtual machine is composed of an *opcode* and,
potentially, an *operand*. An /opcode/ represents the behaviour of
the instruction i.e. what _is_ the instruction. The /operand/ is a
datum of one of the /data types/ described previously.
Some instructions do have /operands/ while others do not. The former
type of instructions are called *UNIT* instructions while the latter
type are called *MULTI* instructions[fn:1].
All /opcodes/ (with very few exceptions[fn:2]) have two components:
the *root* and the *type specifier*. The /root/ represents the
general behaviour of the instruction: ~PUSH~, ~POP~, ~MOV~, etc. The
/type specifier/ specifies what /data type/ it manipulates. A
complete opcode will be a combination of these two e.g. ~PUSH_BYTE~,
~POP_WORD~, etc. Some /opcodes/ may have more /type specifiers/ than
others.
* TODO Bytecode format
Bytecode files are byte sequence which encode instructions for the
virtual machine. Any instruction (even with an operand) has one and
only one byte sequence associated with it.
* TODO Storage
Two types of storage:
+ Data stack which all core VM routines manipulate and work on (FIFO)
+ Register space which is generally reserved for user space code
i.e. other than ~mov~ no other core VM routine manipulates the
registers
* TODO Assembler conventions
The standard library is allowed to use the first 8 words (64 bytes) of
register space without regard to user applications, so it's
recommended to use register space from the 9th (72nd bit) word onwards
for user applications if standard library is to be used.
* Footnotes
[fn:2] ~NOOP~, ~HALT~, ~MDELETE~, ~MSIZE~, ~JUMP_*~
[fn:1] /UNIT/ refers to the fact that the internal representation of
these instructions are singular: two instances of the same /UNIT/
instruction will be identical in terms of their binary. On the other
hand, two instances of the same /MULTI/ instruction may not be
equivalent due to the operand they take. Crucially, most if not all
/MULTI/ instructions have different versions for each /data type/.
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