Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!pacbell.com!pacbell!att!mcdchg!laidbak!obdient!vpnet!cgordon From: cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Gordon Hlavenka) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: 80x86 series chips. History of- Message-ID: <26d9536b-16b.2comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware-1@vpnet.chi.il.us> Date: 27 Aug 90 17:55:05 GMT References: <1339@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> Lines: 24 Lines: 23 >The 80186 DOES exist. It's called a high-integration device and contains >2 onchip DMA controllers, 3 timers, and RAM/ROM decode logic. It is >code-compatible with the 8086. The 80186 is code-compatible with the 8086, however, it is not _register_- compatible with the PC architecture. In other words, it has PC-type peripherals on-chip, but they are not all on the right ports. Had this situation been otherwise, I think a LOT of clone XTs would have been 80186- based. The incompatibility did not stop everybody, though. For a while I used a "Tiny Turbo 186" board from Orchid. It cranked a Compaq suitcase up to a Norton SI of 6 or 7, as I recall. It also did fabulous print spooling which was nice for printing 123 sheets while editing in WS3.3. Ahhh, the Goodle days... ----------------------------------------------------- Gordon S. Hlavenka cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us Disclaimer: I've fallen! And I can't get up! So how could I have expressed an opinion?