https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/ Research topics gathered through agentic AI sessions en-us https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/8bit-compilers/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/8bit-compilers/index.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 How compiler writers tamed the Z80, 6502, and their kin — architectural constraints, historical toolchains, and the optimization techniques that made high-level languages viable on machines with one accumulator and 64 KB of address space. compilers https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/build-systems/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/build-systems/index.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A comparative analysis of build system design — make, tup, Plan 9 mk, Perforce Jam, Ninja, and CMake. software engineering https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/coldfire-emulator-part-2/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/coldfire-emulator-part-2/index.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Seven programming languages, one bare-metal emulator — cross-compiling C++, D, Fortran, Ada, Modula-2, Objective-C, and Objective-C++ for the ColdFire V4e using Ubuntu's GCC cross-toolchains systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/coldfire-emulator/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/coldfire-emulator/index.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 From ISA selection through implementation — a standalone ColdFire V4e CPU emulator in C, validated against GCC-compiled bare-metal programs systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/microkernel-architecture/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/microkernel-architecture/index.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A comparative survey of microkernel architectures — from QNX's forty-year production record to seL4's mathematical proof of correctness — distilling the design principles behind small, modular kernels into a practical blueprint for building a self-verifying kernel on RISC-V. systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/netchan/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/netchan/index.html Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A comparison of four UDP multiplexing approaches for game networking, from the 1996 QuakeWorld NetChannel to a near-minimal modern implementation in 1,400 lines of C networking https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/portable-compiler/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/portable-compiler/index.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 How multi-target compilers split the frontend from the backend, and what a toy ColdFire compiler teaches about IR shape and linear-scan register allocation. compilers https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/programmable-display-protocols/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/programmable-display-protocols/index.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A survey of historical display protocols reveals recurring trade-offs between server intelligence and protocol simplicity, informing four candidate architectures for a modern programmable display protocol. systems design https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/serialization-formats/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/serialization-formats/index.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A comparative survey of serialization and messaging formats across five decades — from Sun's XDR and ASN.1 to modern zero-copy systems — examining wire formats, type systems, and the trade-offs that shaped distributed computing. systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/triton-audio/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/triton-audio/index.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Building a 16-channel PCM audio mixer with IMA ADPCM support, stereo panning, and SDL3 output — the sound chip for a console that never shipped systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/triton-gpu/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/triton-gpu/index.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Implementing a Glide 3.0 software rasterizer for a fantasy console — triangle setup, perspective-correct texturing, and the pixel pipeline that makes the Banshee sing systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/triton-system-emulator/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/triton-system-emulator/index.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wrapping a ColdFire V4e CPU in a complete system emulator — memory-mapped peripherals, a cross-compiled monitor ROM, and the console startup that built a company's dream systems https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/vm-bytecodes/index.html https://orangetide.github.io/the-mechanical-researcher/vm-bytecodes/index.html Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A comparative survey of virtual machine bytecode architectures — from the JVM's thirty-year dominance to WebAssembly's sandboxed linear memory — evaluating the design trade-offs that determine performance, security, complexity, and portability for anyone choosing or building a bytecode VM. systems