Ask HN: What is the most elegant instruction set

Let's optimize for hand written assembly and developer sanity but also fun.

What is the best instruction set / assembly language?

I'll accept both virtual machines and hardware.

5 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 23.3 ms ] thread

My own preferences: 6809, 68K, ARM, and if x86 would be on the list at all it would be dead last.

Developer sanity would be my main driver for the lineup, with the note that of course a 6809 is a bit of a limited environment and there never was as far as I know a 68x version in 64 bits.

Gibbon1 6y ago ↗

Never used the 6809, but considered it for a project. Seemed to me to be a very clean true 16 bit design. Also was on the verge of being obsolete when it was released.

jonjacky 6y ago ↗

Which Machines Do Computer Architects Admire? (2001)

https://people.cs.clemson.edu/~mark/admired_designs.html

jacquesm 6y ago ↗

That's a bit like asking the butcher which butcher has the best meat.

jonjacky 6y ago ↗

No, these are architects in 2001 looking back at earlier machines that influenced them.