Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!grahamt
From: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham Thomas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: "DOS machines" (Was: TT (Who has one?))
Message-ID: <3175@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
Date: 1 Aug 90 12:51:10 GMT
References: <704@cvbnetPrime.COM>
Organization: SPRU, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, UK
Lines: 27

From article <704@cvbnetPrime.COM>, by jshekhel@feds19.prime.com (Jerry Shekhel ):
> Hmmm.  This is exactly what I'm trying to figure out -- what makes
> you hate the Intel processor so much?

The question wasn't asked of me personally, and I don't think I actually
HATE Intel processors, but I can think of two things that might
prejudice some people against them.

1. The 'low byte - high byte' ordering of numbers, which is the opposite
of Motorola chips (other chips, like those from DEC & IBM, divide along
similar lines).  Very much a matter of taste.

2. The 'segment+offset' way of addressing memory locations.  This is
probably the most crucial difference for people who care about these
things.  I remember that Neil Harris, when he worked for Atari, used to
sign messages with the declaration: "Segments are for worms."

There again, I don't do any low-level programming, so I'm not the most
knowledgeable person to comment.  There may be all sorts of other
amazingly important differences!

Graham
-- 
Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, U of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK
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