Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!apollo!rehrauer From: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Intel, Motorola, Maybe we care and maybe we don't Message-ID: <4bf5fd1a.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> Date: 2 Aug 90 15:53:00 GMT References: <1990Jul19.135115.2032@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1990Jul19.160526.2215@arcsun.arc.ab.ca> <6764@vax1.acs.udel.EDU> <692@cvbnetPrime.COM> <3160@rwthinf.UUCP> <701@cvbnetPrime.COM> <713@cvbnetPrime.COM> Sender: root@apollo.HP.COM Reply-To: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) Distribution: na Organization: Hewlett-Packard Apollo Division - Chelmsford, MA Lines: 45 In article <713@cvbnetPrime.COM> jshekhel@feds19.UUCP (Jerry Shekhel ) writes: >I wasn't talking about supervisor mode. I was talking about hardware >support for multitasking with an isolated memory space for each process. >And besides, certainly, we can always throw more hardware at the problem. >We could use a real MMU on the ST, just like we could put a 386 processor >board into an 8086 machine. But I still haven't come closer to under- >standing why people on this newsgroup hate the Intel processor, when the >Intel/Motorola lines are so similar in terms of performance. (I tried email several times; it bounced. Oh well, everyone else has probably already k'd this subject by now...) Jerry, people who Just Run Code have no reason to prefer either line, assuming equal software. People who write code, in particular code-generators or assembly-language, have plenty of reasons to the despise Intel architecture. In short, segmented memory models suck. So do non-orthogonal instruction sets, where 'this' instruction does 'that', but only with 'thus' register or 'yonder' addressing mode. The Moto architecture is far from perfect in this regard, but it's a helluva lot cleaner. After doing code-generators for both segmented (Prime) and flat (Motorola 68k) models, as well as assembly-language for segmented (Prime, Intel) and flat (Moto), I think I can say that I speak from experience. Assuming that the average net.reader is far more inclined to poke "under the hood" of a pee-cee than the average Just.Code.Runner, I think it's very understandable that so many of the former are Moto fans. If, as you say, the criteria is to Just Run Code -- or even to just write fairly benign, high-level language code -- then I agree with everything you say. But if one is inclined or forced to dance more directly with the architecture, and I'm saying nothing about DOS vs Unix, then there's bushels of reasons not to like Intel's 80x86 line. Everyone should know what camp they're in, so why waste time trying to prove you're in the right one? We now return you to your regularly- scheduled ST/STe/TT/ATW/Portfolio/Lynx speculations... (Speaking of the Lynx, anyone notice that NEC -- I think it was NEC -- is advertising a handheld version of their game unit, complete w/ color screen? The Lynx didn't have the color handheld market to itself long. Pity Atari doesn't seem to be beating the Lynx drum loudly enough, early enough -- it's a slick-looking little box...) -- >>"Aaiiyeeee! Death from above!"<< | (Steve) rehrauer@apollo.hp.com "Spontaneous human combustion - what luck!"| Apollo Computer (Hewlett-Packard)