x86 is a generic term referring to the "instruction set" of the most successful CPU "architecture". The architecture is defined as how the CPU arranges and uses resources such as RAM and I/O. Intel invented the x86 architecture, and AMD, VIA, Cyrix and others have manufactured chips compatible with x86.
CPU''s read bytes from RAM as instructions and do stuff based on that data, this is how programming ultimately works. All computer languages eventually have to be translated into this data, called machine language. A byte is a number 0-255, and the set of byte values and their corresponding instructions forms the instruction set.
There are many different types of CPUs that adhere to a specific philosophy, and therefore each major type of CPU has its own instruction set that is not compatible with a different CPU. Other types of instruction sets include MIPS, PPC, ARM, 6502, Z80, 68000, and others.
The two main types of philosoph...
>> 阅读全文