Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM) simulator

The SSEM, also known as the Manchester Baby was the first electronic stored-program computer.

As it is very simple, it is a good subject to study the basic principles of computing.

This program aims at simulating accurately the SSEM while allowing to play with it and tweak it.

Checkout manchester-baby-sim for an interactive Python implementation.

Test it

cargo run -r samples/ssem/factorct.asm

Roadmap

• Read assembler files
• Run the program
• Read binary representation files (.snp)
• Integration tests
• Improve readability (display option)
• Unit tests
• Add a disassembler
• Implement breakpoints: automatically stop at a given condition
• Implement other similar machines

Documentation

Pending...

Bibliography

David Tarnoff, "Programming the 1948 Manchester Baby (SSEM)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7ozlF5ujUw

Chris P Burton, "The Manchester University Small-Scale Experimental Machine Programmer's Reference Manual" http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/computer50/www.computer50.org/mark1/prog98/ssemref.html

Computer Conservation Society, "SSEM - Technical Overview" https://computerconservationsociety.org/ssemvolunteers/volunteers/introframe.html

David Sharp, "Manchester Baby Simulator" https://davidsharp.com/baby/

Brian Napper, "The Manchester Small Scale Experimental Machine -- "The Baby"" https://web.archive.org/web/20081013180637/http://www.computer50.org/mark1/new.baby.html#specification

License

This program is licensed under the MIT license.