On Feb 18, 2013, at 15:59, Edward Jaffe wrote:
> On 2/18/2013 2:19 PM, Bodoh John Robert [Contractor] wrote:
>> I couldn't disagree more. The document was written in English. I presume
>> that, being written in English, it was meant for people that speak English.
>> In every context that I can remember, "second operand" always referred to
>> the operand that was in the second position. I have never heard of the
>> phrase "second operand" to refer to a subscript.
>
> I don't necessarily disagree with your logic, but I must ask: How long have
> you
> been reading Principles of Operation? Are you new to the platform?
>
I perceive a bit of expert's elitism, even narcissism in that rhetoric:
"If you don't already know that, you're beneath my attention!" (I've
tripped over the convention myself, at times.)
> Many of us on this list have been using the "bible" since the 1980s, 1970s or
> even (in some cases) the 1960s and we are well acquainted with the conventions
> used throughout the book. Even if they might seem arcane to some, my point was
> that they are what they are and have always been. Changing them now would
> require tremendous effort--arguably wasting precious IBM hardware development
> resources.
>
Mostly agree. However, in section 5-2 of SA22-7832-08 I read:
To describe the execution of instructions, operands are designated as
first and second operands and, in some cases, third operands.
... which might usefully be expanded, with minor effort, to:
To describe the execution of instructions, operands are designated
as first operands, identified by subscript 1, and second operands,
identified by subscript 2 and, in some cases, third operands,
identified by subscript 3.
Then Mr. Bodoh and I could be told RTFM (of course I hate to say that)
and left to whine "Humpty-Dumpty!" at our pleasure.
It would be pleonastic to require that each reference to {first|second|
third} operand in the sequel be accompanied by a cross-reference to
5-2; nearly equally so that in the hypertext representation each such
reference be a hyperlink to 5-2.
-- gil
