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From: dseal@armltd.uucp (David Seal)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: MIPS, Compaq and Microsoft in bed - NYT story
Message-ID: <5107@acorn.co.uk>
Date: 12 Feb 91 16:42:29 GMT
References: <29920@usc>
Sender: uucp@acorn.co.uk
Distribution: comp
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England
Lines: 14

In article <29920@usc> ajayshah@alhena.usc.edu (Ajay Shah) writes:

>Is 64 bits important?  IEEE doubles are 80 bits anyway; what
>kinds of instructions will run a lot better with 64 bits?

IEEE doubles are 64 bits! The 80 bit IEEE format is double extended (or
rather, the usual version of IEEE double extended is 80 bits wide: the IEEE
standard does not specify extended formats fully, but implies that double
extended must be at least 79 bits wide).

David Seal
dseal@acorn.co.uk

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