A crowd of Little Man Computers: visual computer simulator teaching tools

This paper describes the use of a particular type of computer simulator as a tool for teaching computer architecture. The Little Man Computer (LMC) paradigm was developed by Stuart Madnick of MIT in the 1960s and has stood the test of time as a conceptual device that helps students understand the basics of how a computer works. With the success of the LMC paradigm, LMC simulators have also proliferated. We compare and contrast the current crowd of LMC simulators highlighting visual features. We found unexpected insights since despite starting with the same paradigm with the same goals, each implementation is distinct with different strengths and weaknesses. It is our intention that interested educators will find this a useful starting point or useful reference for incorporating simulation into their courses.