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Show HN: Compile C to Not Gates

(github.com)
145 points tomhee | 3 comments | 17 Jan 25 19:36 UTC | HN request time: 0.613s | source

Hi! I've been working on the flipjump project, a programming language with 1 opcode: flip (invert) a bit, then jump (unconditionally). So a bit-flip followed by more bit-flips. It's effectively a bunch of NOT gates. This language, as poor as it sounds, is RICH.

Today I completed my compiler from C to FlipJump. It takes C files, and compiles them into flipjump. I finished testing it all today, and it works! My key interest in this project is to stretch what we know of computing and to prove that anything can be done even with minimal power.

I appreciate you reading my announcement, and be happy to answer questions.

More links:

- The flipjump language: https://github.com/tomhea/flip-jump https://esolangs.org/wiki/FlipJump

- c2fj python package https://pypi.org/project/c2fj/

1. dlcarrier ◴[17 Jan 25 21:22 UTC] No.42743389[source]▶
Maxim (now owned by Analog) actually manufactures a single-instruction processor series, called MAXQ. It uses a single move instruction, with a flag for literals, and a transport triggered architecture.
replies(1): >>42746467 #
2. Zamiel_Snawley ◴[18 Jan 25 07:00 UTC] No.42746467[source]▶
What is the intended use case for such a processor?
replies(1): >>42754348 #
3. dlcarrier ◴[19 Jan 25 06:34 UTC] No.42754348[source]▶
They are embedded microcontrollers, which run real-time deterministic tasks, with tens to hundreds of MIPS on fixed-point tasks. These are the kinds of microcontrollers used in products like household appliances or control systems.