title: $zero on MIPS really hardware zero?
body: <p>I'm kind of firm with x86-64 assembly (not an expert maybe), but many aspects are similar from one platform's assembler to the next, so I'm also trying to answer questions that are not actually in my range of knowledge, and I've stumbled upon several questions about MIPS assembly.</p>
  
  <p>This wakened my interest in details, so I've checked several online ressources for detailed information. <a href="http://www.mips.com">mips.com</a> has a lot to read, but just for my quick information:</p>
  
  <p>Is the <code>$zero</code> register just conventional zero or hardware zero?</p>
  
  <p>Some sources say it is conventionally zero, others claim it is always zero. Or do the latter simply assume it is zero, because it conventionally is?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance for clarification (and/or pointers to a specific doc from MIPS' site, so I don't need to crawl information that I actually don't need).</p>