Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!oliveb!amdahl!JUTS!duts!kls30 From: kls30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L Shephard) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: 8-bit death (was Re: What the heck IS "Interactive TV"?) Message-ID: <02J7020m07rC01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> Date: 22 Apr 91 19:21:43 GMT References: <16928@chopin.udel.edu> <1991Apr21.152513.23054@sugar.hackercorp.com> Sender: netnews@ccc.amdahl.com Reply-To: kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L. Shephard) Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 41 In article <1991Apr21.152513.23054@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >In article kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L. Shephard) writes: >> That is 16 bits vs 32 bits and 8 bits vs 16 bits. Now tell me that >> a 386sx is a 16 bit cpu. > >It's not the CPU, it's the software. Anything you run MS-DOS on is basically >a CP/M box. A VW Beetle with a V-8. > >MS-DOS is an 8-bit operating system. As is MacOS (a VW Beetle with a great ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WRONG. If MS-DOS was an 8-bit OS you would not have 16-bit anything built in. In fact you do. CPM was 8-bit MS-DOS is 16-bits. The compilers for the OS are 16-bit. The initial cpu that MS-DOS ran on was 16-bit. >sound system). > >Xenix-286 and other swapping UNIX variants are 16-bit operating systems. As >is AmigaOS. Just because MS-DOS doesn't allow swapping and virtual memory directly does not mean it is not 16-bit. What is your definition of a 16-bit OS? Mine is one that directly supports 16-bit integers, data formats, if it is segmented - allows at least 16-bit segments for memory addressing. The same goes for a 32-bit OS. > >VMUNIX is a 32-bit operating system. So is NeXT Os 2.0 which, BTW is what my other machine runs. >-- >Peter da Silva. `-_-' >. -- /* -The opinions expressed are my own, not my employers. */ /* For I can only express my own opinions. */ /* */ /* Kent L. Shephard : email - kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com */