x86 Processor Issues
Data types have no alignment restrictions. However, extra memory cycles might be required for
the x86 processor to properly handle misaligned data transfers.
Note - Drivers should not perform floating-point operations, as these operations are not supported in
the kernel.
x86 Byte Ordering
The x86 processors use little-endian byte ordering. The least significant byte (LSB) of
an integer is stored at the lowest address of the integer. The most
significant byte is stored at the highest address for data items in this
processor. For example, byte 7 is the most significant byte for 64-bit processors.
x86 Architecture Manuals
Both Intel Corporation and AMD publish a number of books on the
x86 family of processors. See https://www.intel.com and https://www.amd.com/.