Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.micro,net.arch Subject: Re: 386 Family Products Message-ID: <6112@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 19:24:34 EST Article-I.D.: utzoo.6112 Posted: Mon Nov 4 19:24:34 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 4-Nov-85 19:24:34 EST References: <129@intelca.UUCP> <392@aum.UUCP> <225@l5.uucp> <533@scirtp.UUCP>, <2353@ukma.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 33 > >... What can it [the 386] do that the 68020 can't do better? > > Run several MS-DOS programs simultaneously with full 8086 compatibility, > with each program in its very own 1 MByte address space. Running old software is best done by recompiling portable source. Or, in the case of much MSDOS software, throwing it out and reimplementing. The parts about "simultaneous" and "very own address space" are nothing special. If one really wants to make a decent machine [stipulating that the 386 is such, I haven't got full specs yet] act like a bunch of brain-damaged ones, consider the awesome inefficiency of emulating things like screen updates one instruction at a time. (Or does the 386 have some better hooks for emulating memory-mapped virtual i/o devices?) Yes, Virginia, there are MSDOS programs that do their own screen updates. Lots of them. > Or how about running a program that requires 64 terabytes of memory? Name one. Name one disk with enough space to serve as backing store, too. Note that you can't exploit that space without resorting to the disastrously inefficient "large model" code, either. Practically all real 386 programs are going to run "small model", which fortunately isn't much of a problem when that means 32-bit addresses. > By the way, do I note a bit of unwillingness to listen to someone (or > something) just because he (it) is black? No, you detect a strong note of skepticism about Intel processors, after four (five if you count the 432) botches in a row. Maybe the skepticism is unjustified in this case; I reserve judgement until I see spec sheets. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry