Brainlag
  1. C
  2. Bits and a tiny machine
37/38 lessons

A tiny stack machine

50 min4 exercisesPremium

Build a bytecode interpreter in C: an array of instructions, a stack, a program counter and a switch in a loop, with jumps that make loops.

The skill
Build a tiny virtual machine that runs a list of numbers as a program, and see how a processor steps through code.
You make
A bytecode interpreter with arithmetic and jumps, a countdown written in its own machine code, and a reverse Polish calculator.

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Builds on 36 Bit flags. Free to try: C Foundations and the playground.

Step 1 of 8
exercise_1.c

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4 exercises in this lesson, checked as you type. Premium opens every lesson after Foundations, in all four courses.

C, 32-bit: int and pointers are 4 bytes