Method and apparatus for alleviating register window size constraints

A microprocessor in microprocessor computer system using register window architecture comprising:

• registers arranged in two or more register windows, each of said register windows comprising a plurality or registers;
• a first window pointer for designating one of said two or more register windows, said first window pointer being a register;
• an effective current register pointer for designating one of said two or more register windows, said effective current register pointer being a register, said effective current register pointer allowing an application running on said microprocessor to access more than one of said at least two register windows for using data associated with said application, wherein;
• on a context switch reload of said registers of said microprocessor, said register window designated by said first window pointer, said register window designated by said effective current register pointer, and any register windows between said register window designated by said first window pointer and said register window designated by said effective current register pointer are reloaded, further wherein;
• said effective current register pointer overrides said first window pointer when said effective current register pointer designates a register window different from a register window designated by said first window pointer.

A computer system, said computer system comprising:

• A microprocessor using a register window architecture said microprocessor comprising:
• registers arranged in two or more register windows, each of said register windows comprising a plurality or registers;
• a first window pointer for designating one of said two or more register windows;
• an effective current register pointer for designating one of said two or more register windows, said effective current register pointer allowing an application running on said microprocessor to access more than one of said at least two register windows for using data associated with said application.

A computer system, said computer system comprising:

• A microprocessor using a register window architecture said microprocessor comprising:
• registers arranged in two or more register windows, each of said register windows comprising a plurality or registers;
• a first window pointer for designating one of said two or more register windows, said first window pointer being a register;
• an effective current register pointer for designating one of said two or more register windows, said effective current register pointer being a register, said effective current register pointer allowing an application running on said microprocessor to access more than one of said at least two register windows for using data associated with said application, wherein;
• on a context switch reload of said registers of said microprocessor, said register window designated by said first window pointer, said register window designated by said effective current register pointer, and any register windows between said register window designated by said first window pointer and said register window designated by said effective current register pointer are reloaded, further wherein;
• said effective current register pointer overrides said first window pointer when said effective current register pointer designates a register window different from a register window designated by said first window pointer.