Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!stanford.edu!eos!aio!vf.jsc.nasa.gov!kent From: kent@vf.jsc.nasa.gov Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: 8-bit death Message-ID: <1991Apr26.085327.1@vf.jsc.nasa.gov> Date: 26 Apr 91 14:53:27 GMT References: <16928@chopin.udel.edu> <2584.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz> Sender: news@aio.jsc.nasa.gov (USENET News System) Organization: NASA Johnson Space Flight Center Lines: 27 In article <2584.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz>, jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) writes: > Quoted from <02J7020m07rC01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> by kls30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L Shephard): >> >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 > > I suspect the original poster was refering to MS-DOS being > embarassingly small and puny. Actually, MS-DOS started out as a 8 bit operating system since the orignal PC as 8 bit based. Just because you have a 16 bit ore 32 bit 286 or 386 that does not mean the OS or the application programs are executing 32 wide instructions. A lot of programs are faster only because the clock speed of the 286 and 386 machines are faster.... the programs still execute 8 bit instructions..... #define TRUE 1 #define FLAME_SUPPRESSION_SYSTEM TRUE I'm ready for your responses..... -- Mike Kent - Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company at NASA JSC 2400 NASA Rd One, Houston, TX 77058 (713) 483-3791 KENT@vf.jsc.nasa.gov