IGUANA MAC INTERPRETER: AN INTERPRETER FOR THE MAC LANGUAGE BY ANDREW S. TANENBAUM

Abstract

The article presents the Iguana MAC Interpreter, an educational interpreter for the MAC assembly language proposed by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, developed with the aim of supporting the teaching of Computer Architecture and low-level programming. The interpreter executes MAC code interactively on a 16-bit stack-based architecture, offering support for memory manipulation operations, arithmetic, control flow, bitwise operations, and debugging. Implemented in the Rust programming language, the system adopts a two-pass algorithm for label resolution and incorporates explicit runtime error-handling mechanisms. The tool enables visualization of the machine’s internal operation and practical experimentation through classic examples, such as the Hello, World! program. The results indicate that the Iguana MAC Interpreter constitutes a relevant didactic resource for promoting active learning and conceptual understanding of the fundamentals of computer architecture.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/edimpacto2025.065-005