614 Part 3 ½ Computer Classes

Section 2 ½Microcomputers

• Input/output. This function, because of the multiplicity of requirements, was the last to be integrated, and this process is still in its infancy. To solve the I/O problem, our industry has introduced a novel idea, i.e., input/output devices whose hardware configuration and timing requirements are software-programmable. This way, the same circuit can be adapted to a variety of different uses within the same class: parallel interface, serial interface, or specific peripheral controllers.
• Software. So far, software technology has only been marginally affected by the existence of microcomputers. Areas of influence are, for example, in diagnostic tools, such as software-development systems and specialized logic analyzers and hardware emulation tools. Under the pressure of an expanding market, however, microcomputer software, is rapidly maturing to the level of sophistication found in minicomputer and megacomputer software. High-level languages specifically designed for microcomputers are now being developed, and the trend will continue by incorporating features into the microcomputer architecture that will make .high-level programming very efficient.