Digital data processing system incorporating object-based addressing and capable of executing instructions belonging to several instruction sets

摘要

A digital computer system having a memory system organized into objects for storing data and a processor for processing data in response to instructions. An object identifier is associated with each object. The memory system responds to logical addresses for data which specify the object containing the data and the offset of the data in the object. The objects include procedure objects and data objects. The procedure objects contain procedures including the instructions. Each instruction contains an operation code which belongs to one of several sets of operation codes. All instructions in a single procedure belong to a single operation code set, and associated with each procedure is an operation code set identifier specifying the operation code set to which the instructions in the procedure belongs. Operation codes are decoded in the processor in response to both the operation code and a dialect value representing the operation code set identifier for the operation code set to which the operation code belongs. The dialect value changes only on execution of a call operation or a return operation.