Sieve of Eratosthenes benchmarks for the Z8 FORTH microcontroller

. ABSTRACT
This report presents benchmarks for the 28 FORTH microcontroller system that ORNL
uses extensively in proving concepts and developing prototype test equipment for the
Smart House Project. The results are based on the sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm, a
calculation used extensively to rate computer systems and programming languages. Three
benchmark refinements are presented, each showing how the execution speed of a FORTH
program can be improved by use of a particular optimization technique. The last version
of the FORTH benchmark shows that optimization is worth the effort: It executes 20
times faster than the Gilbreaths’ widely-published FORTH benchmark program.
The National Association of Home Builders Smart House Project is a cooperative research
and development effort being undertaken by American home builders and a number of
major corporations serving the home building industry. The major goal of the project is
to help the participating organizations incorporate advanced technology in
communications, energy distribution, and appliance control products for American homes.
This information is provided to help project participants use the 28 FORTH prototyping
microcontroller in developing Smart House concepts and equipment. The discussion is
technical in nature and assumes some experience with microcontroller devices and the
techniques used to develop software for them.