RISC

acronym Also written Risc or risc (Science and Technology) Short for reduced instruction set computer, a type of computer designed to perform a limited set of operations, and therefore having relatively simple circuitry and able to work at high speed. Also (short for reduced instruction set computing), computing using this kind of computer; the simplified environment in which it operates. Etymology: The initial letters of Reduced Instruction Set Computer (or Computing). History and Usage: Research into the viability of a RISC and its advantages over the traditional approach (complex instruction set computing or CISC) began in the early eighties, and by 1983 had produced the first commercial products based on this principle. It soon became clear that the greatest advantage was speed, with RISC working at twice the speed of CISC. The acronym RISC is nearly always used attributively (in RISC architecture, RISC chip, RISC processor, RISC system, etc.); systems, machines, etc. are often described as RISC-based, while the software products with which RISC is used are known as RISCware. By incompatible microprocessors, I mean the Risc chips: Sparc, Mips, 88000 and 80860 for starters. PC Magazine July 1989, p. 130 For the same dollar, CISC will deliver only half the performance of RISC. New York Times 28 Sept. 1989, section D, p. 2 To set standards for RISC-based workstations, MIPS is challenging Sun Microsystems Inc. New York Times 10 Dec. 1989, section 3, p. 10 The RISCware Product Directory lists 245 software products. UnixWorld Apr. 1990, p. 91