(RISC) A processor whose design is based on the rapid execution of a sequence of simple instructions rather than on the provision of a large variety of complex instructions (as in a Complex Instruction Set Computer). Features which are generally found in RISC designs are uniform instruction encoding (e.g. the op-code is always in the same bit positions in each instruction which is always one word long), which allows faster decoding a homogenous {register set}, allowing any register to be used in any context and simplifying compiler design and simple addressing modes with more complex modes replaced by sequences of simple arithmetic instructions. Examples of (more or less) RISC processors are the {Berkeley RISC}, {HP-PA}, {Clipper}, {i960}, {AMD 29000}, {MIPS R2000} and DEC Alpha. IBM' s first RISC computer was the RT/PC (IBM 801), they now produce the RISC-based {RISC System/6000} and {SP/2} lines. Despite Apple Computer' s bogus claims for their PowerPC-based Macintoshes, the first RISC processor used in a personal computer was the Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) used in the AcornArchimedes. (1997-06-03)
