Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:4306 comp.sys.intel:1504
Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!msuinfo!news
From: draper@buster.cps.msu.edu (Patrick J Draper)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.sys.intel
Subject: Re: When will the 8088 die?
Message-ID: <1990Dec2.223629.9781@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Date: 2 Dec 90 22:36:29 GMT
References: <90335.202651F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> <1990Dec2.151600.12415@d.cs.okstate.edu> <1990Dec2.194533.12250@uwasa.fi>
Sender: news@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu
Reply-To: draper@buster.cps.msu.edu (Patrick J Draper)
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Michigan State University
Lines: 35

In article <1990Dec2.194533.12250@uwasa.fi> ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi) writes:
>
>Aren't we missing the point here? It is not the 8088 (or 8086)
>processor in itself that counts, but the trivial fact that
>practically millions of MsDos applications are based on 8088
>instructions set whatever 80x86 processor is under the hood. 
>
>...................................................................
>Prof. Timo Salmi        (Moderating at anon. ftp site 128.214.12.3)
>School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
>Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun

That's exactly correct.

My opinion is that for the most part, people don't care what chip their
word processor runs on. For that reason, the 8088 will be around a *long*
time. I predict at least 5 more years, even though fewer new systems will
be made with that chip. Old equipment doesn't wear out really fast, and it
will be used.

I believe DOS will survive too, although in a very different form
(certainly it will get rewritten by somebody for 386 4 Gb segments) and
it won't be compatible with today's DOS. But this is what will finally
kill the 8088; the next DOS, UNIX, or OS/2 that unleashes the power of the
386 at $100. It doesn't even have to be that good. DOS has plenty of
problems, so does UNIX. That never stopped anyone from using it. Simply
cheap and functional is the ticket.

OS/2 won't do it if it stays at $2000 for the developer's kit. Ditto for
some PC-*nix's.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Draper              In times like these it is helpful to
buster.cps.msu.edu          remember that there have always been
                            times like these.
------------------------------------------------------------------------