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Binary translation and software
emulation bridge old and new architectures quickly and without recompiling source
code. You can keep your investment in current software applications and move to
Alpha at the same time. While an application is being ported to native Alpha code, the
same application can already be up and running on your new Alpha systems. What do the
terms mean?
| Binary
translation |
Imagine you're translating a French
story into English. When you finish your assignment, you have created a story written in
English that says the same thing as the story written in French. Binary translation is
like this French assignment. A binary translator changes an executable program for one
computer architecture into an executable program for a different computer architecture.
You run the translated program on the new platform. |
| Software
emulation |
Imagine you work for the United Nations
as an interpreter. The French ambassador delivers a speech and you interpret what he's
saying in English, as he's saying it. Software emulation is like this kind of
interpretation. A software emulator interprets binary instructions for a foreign
architecture and, in real time, generates equivalent instructions for the native
architecture. The program itself hasn't changed.
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FreePort Express and DECmigrate are
binary translators. DIGITAL FX!32 uses a unique combination of translation and emulation
techniques (see the DIGITAL FX!32 white paper
for details).
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