What Is Microcode?

Microcode is like the Secretary of the Department of Transportation. It helps the other, more critical departments do their jobs. Think of it this way: machine language is like a person who knows how to drive, but she can't talk about it in a way that makes sense to you. Please tell her what each turn means, what each light means, and why she's making each decision. Micro operations are like the lights and signs on the road. Little information tells your driver (your machine) what to do next. Microcode? A microcode is like a sign that says "turn left" or "turn right." It tells your driver how and why they should move. In the world of computing, there are two kinds of programming languages: Machine language and microcode. Machine language operates at the hardware abstraction's upper layer. It means that it accesses computer processors directly, which we use to write programs on our computers. Microcode deals with lower-level or circuit-based operations. Because the microcode is usually embedded in hardware, it cannot be altered. It's like an instruction set that allows a processor to perform its tasks. Machine language is designed to be readable by humans. It uses words and numbers like "add" or "3" so we can understand its instructions. Microcode is intended for computers to read—it uses binary numbers instead of words or numbers! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to understand computers at a deeper level, we've got some news for you. You already do. When you think about what your computer is doing right now, it's not thinking about a text or binary code. Instead, it's taking advantage of microcode, a layer of machine language interpretation that manages hardware resources at the register or circuitry level. Each piece of microcode may contain one or more microinstructions that perform circuit-based operations. In other words: It's like having an army of tiny robot soldiers running inside your computer, managing its hardware resources for you!