Machine structure oriented control code logic

TL;DR

This paper introduces a logical, abstract framework based on machine structures to analyze control code behavior and portability, independent of specific machine details, with applications like compiler development.

Contribution

It presents a novel logical approach using abstract machine models to explain control code issues and their portability at an abstract level.

Findings

Provides a formal model for control code behavior

Explains control code portability across different machine structures

Illustrates approach with compiler production example

Abstract

Control code is a concept that is closely related to a frequently occurring practitioner's view on what is a program: code that is capable of controlling the behaviour of some machine. We present a logical approach to explain issues concerning control codes that are independent of the details of the behaviours that are controlled. Using this approach, such issues can be explained at a very abstract level. We illustrate this among other things by means of an example about the production of a new compiler from an existing one. The approach is based on abstract machine models, called machine structures. We introduce a model of systems that provide execution environments for the executable codes of machine structures and use it to go into portability of control codes.