Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!emory!wa4mei!holos0!lbr
From: lbr@holos0.uucp (Len Reed)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Comparing 486 to 386 Systems
Message-ID: <1991Apr11.001619.6952@holos0.uucp>
Date: 11 Apr 91 00:16:19 GMT
References: <27865@neptune.inf.ethz.ch> <1991Apr6.191106.5863@cc.helsinki.fi> <1991Apr7.033635.18412@agate.berkeley.edu>
Organization: Holos Software, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Lines: 21

In article <1991Apr7.033635.18412@agate.berkeley.edu> c60b-1eq@e260-1f.berkeley.edu (Noam Mendelson) writes:

>Just a technical point--UN*X Sys V can run on an 8086.

Of course a stray pointer can bring down the whole house of cards.

>And an 80286-based system can make a workable multi-user UN*X system.

But the point being made was that 16-bit addressing really cripples you.
Once upon a time Unix ran on PDP-11's, but system V really doesn't work
too well on anything less than a 32-bit processor.

Of course, I can't imagine why anyone would buy anything less than a
80386-SX even for a home computer running DOS; they've become so cheap that
arguing over whether a 286 is adaquate is as dumb as arguing if an 8080
would do the job.  Who cares?
-- 
Len Reed
Holos Software, Inc.
Voice: (404) 496-1358
UUCP: ...!gatech!holos0!lbr