RISC-V: They Should Have Known Better

Table of Contents

Everything for Everyone

Optionality

Missing Obvious Pieces

Ridiculous encoding

Alleged Fixes

How Did We Get Here and Where to Now?

Does This Mean RISC-V is Doomed?

Comments...

I am often asked to explain my distaste for RISC-V and I often find myself explaining it piecewise. The reactions are often of the form "you just do not understand the brilliance of it all", which is, of course, no argument at all. After being asked for the Nth time to explain, I decided to put it all down in one place so that I could simply link to it when asked next. Plus, if anyone wishes, then, to form a coherent counter-argument, they could refer to my points clearly and in detail by having this text as a reference. All opinions stated here are mine and do not represent the views of my employer, any deity, or my landlord.…