“you thought you did something there, didn’t you?”

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Cake day: September 25th, 2023

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  • You’re remembering correctly, every other logic gate can be built from NAND gates, which is the foundation of this sort of minimal-instruction-set exercise. Beyond that, you need to be able to move data and change your program counter (jump, often conditionally). Then, if you want parity with modern instruction sets beyond just being turning complete, you need return and interrupt for control flow.



  • Gabe has said multiple times he would never sell Valve to Microshaft.

    Every time I see these “rumors” I can’t help but think that they are a malicious tactic by Microshaft to try and influence their more longshot buyout offers-- Microshaft really really wants Valve, this has been known for at least a decade. And some overzealous young execs are foolishly ready to try and pressure Valve with these bullshit tactics, completely unaware of what dangerous game they are playing legally.

    I have no doubt in my mind Valve will never be sold to Microshaft or come anywhere close to it so long as Gabe or his confidants are at the helm. They are ex-Microsoft employees. They built Windows 3.0. They know it’s inner workings and failings very intimately and they only begrudgingly tolerate Windows because it’s the dominant market share. That’s the whole reason SteamOS and Steam Deck exist, to chip away at Microsoft’s attempts to monopolize PC gaming. And that’s exactly why Microsoft is hoarding IP and restricting their most prestigious titles, like Halo, to Windows through anticheat.

    Whoever is starting these rumors are either pathetically stupid and attention hungry or are spreading misinformation in a hail mary at the behest of Microshaft.



  • Bookmarking your comment so I can come back to it in a couple hours, if I hopefully remember to.

    But yes, almost. I don’t think the interrupt is necessary and the return isn’t under certain architectures. I have a doc on my computer somewhere where I was investigating what the absolute minimum was to make a turning complete machine and, to my recollection, there was only 4-6 instructions that were absolutely necessary. The ones I remember off the top of my head are NAND, MOV, JUMPIF, and then I believe I included NOP in accordance with some principle. RET and INT were convenience features in this design.