Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!goanna!ok
From: ok@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au (Richard A. O'Keefe)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: PR1ME 32I mode (was Re: Porting OSes (was DEC RISC Architecture))
Message-ID: <3970@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au>
Date: 15 Oct 90 02:10:47 GMT
References: <4462@trantor.harris-atd.com> <107038@convex.convex.com> <PCG.90Oct14182345@odin.cs.aber.ac.uk>
Organization: Comp Sci, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia
Lines: 14

In article <PCG.90Oct14182345@odin.cs.aber.ac.uk>, pcg@cs.aber.ac.uk (Piercarlo Grandi) writes:
> Incidentally, I think a lot of the sophistication in hw architectures is
> there only because of the pride and whim of the hw designer ... e.g. the
> MV/8000 rings, the Pr1me I32 mode, etc... "The soul of a new machine" I
> think is quite revealing on this (the 'no mode bit' struggle!).

That's odd, the story I heard from someone wearing a PR1ME badge was
that 32I mode existed because a very large potential customer demanded it.
I'm sure that PR1ME's architects were overjoyed to have a chance of getting
the taste of 32V out of their mouths...

Does anyone know the real story about 32I mode?
-- 
Fear most of all to be in error.	-- Kierkegaard, quoting Socrates.