assemblysimulationhardwarecpu-architecturelittle-man-computer

Is Little Man Computer still relevant?


I´m trying to learn how computers actually works, I found some simulator software but the seem to be very complex (I´m still a beginner). I saw Little Man Computer (LMC) which is very old. I´m afraid the way the software works is not what exactly happens nowdays.

So, is Little Man Computer still relevant for me to learn how computers work? Is there a better one?


Solution

  • It isnt exactly what happens nowadays but it certainly does show the basic principles.

    Nowadays CPUs have multiple cores and methods of executing multiple instructions at once, and usually arent 16 bit like the little man simulator. They also can have SIMD instructions and other bells and whistles.

    To understand whats happening you would like to read some theory and use the simulator to practically see what exactly happens on each step, so dont just rely on the simulator to understand how a cpu works.

    It certainly is good enough to learn. In future questions you might want to link the things you are talking about instead of saying 'this little man computer one'.