Scratch

G0D_M0D3 wrote:

Or download computercraft...

That's right, just burst my bubble 

16Skittles wrote:

I am planning one too. For a question, why is it such that one byte is four bits instead of the real life standard of eight bits? Just a plan to simplify the processor? Anyway, I am hoping for a pretty good display (I've made a compact Seven-Segment Display using glowstone lamps) and possibly even audio output which is, as far as I know, unheard of in MC computers.

Well, each instruction has to be 4 bits long (well, technically 4 groups of 4 bits long), and it is just easier to have a word that means 4 bits since the computer is a 4-bit processor.  As to why it is a 4-bit processor, you are correct, I chose 4-bits just to simplify it.  An 8 bit processor might be a (very) long term goal, but 4-bit makes everything easier and smaller.  I don't have any display or input yet.  I'm working on the main hardware that will do the processing and storing.

As I said above, each instruction will be stored in 4 "bytes" for a total of 16 bits.  So

1000 // copy from
1010 // copy to
1001 // which bits to change
0101 // rotate bits & location of next instruction.

would be 1 instruction.

Jeb's new game will have a workable in game computer I've heard

backspace_ wrote:

Jeb's new game will have a workable in game computer I've heard

You mean Notch's?

bobbybee wrote:

Wait, is this supposed to be a toy computer in MC?

I'm not sure what you mean by "toy".  It is supposed to be a computer (simulate on a "real" computer) that can execute a program.  Right now, the only thing on the agenda is being able to execute a program that switches bits.  Forms of input and output may be added, but as of now, just the computing is important to me.

soupoftomato wrote:

And exactly WHAT would this computer EVER be (seriously) useful for, other than wasting life building?

Developing my understanding of computers in real life?

soupoftomato wrote:

MoreGamesNow wrote:

soupoftomato wrote:

And exactly WHAT would this computer EVER be (seriously) useful for, other than wasting life building?

Developing my understanding of computers in real life?

Ah.

Well, there are more physical ways to do it.

I can't exactly go to the store and buy transistors (not to mention that the size of transistors is so small I couldn't exactly put them together  ).  I might be able to simulate it with current and magnets (old computers used those), but no where near as quickly as I can in Minecraft.  Paper and pencil is 2 dimensional, and severely limiting. Minecraft has speed (relative to real-life-construction), is 3 dimensional, and is free.

How else should I learn about logic gates, processors, adders, bits, and binary code?

MoreGamesNow wrote:

16Skittles wrote:

I am planning one too. For a question, why is it such that one byte is four bits instead of the real life standard of eight bits? Just a plan to simplify the processor? Anyway, I am hoping for a pretty good display (I've made a compact Seven-Segment Display using glowstone lamps) and possibly even audio output which is, as far as I know, unheard of in MC computers.

Well, each instruction has to be 4 bits long (well, technically 4 groups of 4 bits long), and it is just easier to have a word that means 4 bits since the computer is a 4-bit processor.  As to why it is a 4-bit processor, you are correct, I chose 4-bits just to simplify it.  An 8 bit processor might be a (very) long term goal, but 4-bit makes everything easier and smaller.  I don't have any display or input yet.  I'm working on the main hardware that will do the processing and storing.

As I said above, each instruction will be stored in 4 "bytes" for a total of 16 bits.  So

Code:

1000 // copy from
1010 // copy to
1001 // which bits to change
0101 // rotate bits & location of next instruction.

would be 1 instruction.

Lol personally I hate taking that approach. The problem being that everything is purely hypothetical and you can't test to see if something is wrong.

16Skittles wrote:

Lol personally I hate taking that approach. The problem being that everything is purely hypothetical and you can't test to see if something is wrong.

You can run through your program on paper and see if the results are emulated by the computer.  A (very) simple program could be this:

0100
0101
1111
0000
------
0000
0000
0000
0000

It copies byte "4" into byte "5", and then becomes "idle" (copying byte "0" into itself, without replacing any bits or rotating at all)

Last edited by MoreGamesNow (2012-04-11 21:31:35)