As was mentioned, Wilkes first proposed the use of a microprogrammed control
unit in 1951 [WILK51]. This proposal was subsequently elaborated into a more detailed
design [WILK53]. It is instructive to examine this seminal proposal.
The configuration proposed by Wilkes is depicted in Figure 16.5.The heart of the
system is a matrix partially filled with diodes. During a machine cycle, one row of the