Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site amdcad.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!gatech!amdcad!phil From: phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: NEC V20 ---> 8088 Message-ID: <4146@amdcad.UUCP> Date: Wed, 18-Sep-85 22:33:28 EDT Article-I.D.: amdcad.4146 Posted: Wed Sep 18 22:33:28 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 20-Sep-85 04:03:45 EDT References: <1438@brl-tgr.ARPA> <10406@ucbvax.ARPA> Reply-To: phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) Organization: AMD, Sunnyvale, California Lines: 35 In article <10406@ucbvax.ARPA> spp@ucbvax.ARPA (Stephen P Pope) writes: >other form, to produce its "pirate" 8088's. It would >be illegal for NEC to sell 8088's that were designed with >the use of stolen or proprietary information. But it >has never been alleged that NEC has done any of these things. >What they have done is reproduce the 8088 starting from >its data-sheet, and other public-domain information, and >this is perfectly legal. I was told the following story at a party so I can't really back it up without a lot of work but it may be interesting anyway: Apparently Intel had a microcode bug in the 8088 which they needed to fix in a big hurry. So they edited the mask and changed the bits in a place where they normally wouldn't be changed, overriding the normal layer where microcode was stored. They were pursuing a suit against NEC when it was discovered that the NEC 8088 had the same kludge microcode patch. When this was disclosed in the newspaper (Wall Street Journal or Washington Post, wish I could remember which and when), NEC suddenly agreed to settle out of court and gave Intel everything they wanted (some large sum of money). If this story is true then: 1) It has been alleged that NEC has done illegal things like copy masks. 2) A rather convincing proof is present in NEC's willingness to settle at a high cost to themselves. Again, I'm only speaking for myself. -- We changed Coke again. hee hee Phil Ngai (408) 749-5720 UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.ARPA