Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!xavax!alvitar
From: alvitar@xavax.com (Phillip Harbison)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: The Sixth Generation
Message-ID: <1990May10.012327.16931@xavax.com>
Date: 10 May 90 01:23:27 GMT
Sender: alvitar@xavax.com
Distribution: na
Organization: Xavax
Lines: 36

In article <4698@uceng.UC.EDU> dmocsny@minerva.che.uc.edu (Daniel Mocsny)
writes:
> In article <1990May3.153742.9750@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry
> Spencer) writes:
> > The invisible hand of Adam Smith right now is full of Intel x86
> > machines, and I *refuse* to believe that those are the world's
> > best computer architecture!
>
> What architecture is better *right now* for all the Intel x86
> customers? I don't mean what architecture would be better if
> only it ran the applications ...

I'm sure a bright chap like Henry didn't mean to suggest that a better
architecture exists which runs all that "wonderful" MesSDOS software.
He is probably just lamenting the fact that things could have been
much better.  There were better microprocessors available at competitive
prices when IBM chose the mediocre 8088.  The volume of the market has
taken quite some time to drive prices down to their current level, and
Intel still holds us hostage on certain sole source parts like the 8087.

Furthermore, it took hoards of developers jumping on the PC bandwagon
(attracted by that sexy three letter logo, no doubt) to create the
current flood of DOS applications.  I believe there were only three
applications available at the time of the PC introduction.  Other
operating systems were available that were clearly superior to DOS.
UNIX, OS/9, Uniflex, and Xenix were all available at that time, and
I condider all four options to be far superior to MSDOS.

I guess Henry is just lamenting over what might have been.  What if
IBM had chosen a decent OS or processor?  Would they have found a way
to screw things up anyway?  Probably so.

-- 
Live: Phil Harbison, Xavax, P.O. Box 7413, Huntsville, AL 35807
Uucp: alvitar@xavax.com
Bell: 205-539-1672, 205-880-8951