Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!gatech!hubcap!ncrcae!ncr-sd!se-sd!cns!dltaylor
From: dltaylor@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Dan Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: NeXT Press Release
Message-ID: <922@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM>
Date: 29 Apr 91 22:05:22 GMT
References: <6o6G#_oz1@cs.psu.edu> <11476@uwm.edu>
Organization: NCR Corp. SE-San Diego
Lines: 29

In <11476@uwm.edu> gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block) writes:
>A standard what?  Who proclaimed it standard, and what standard is
>that?  Is it the XT, the AT, or the 386, or even the 486 that is
>standard?  Which architecture?  ISA?  EISA?  MCA?  Which BIOS?  What

History:  the STANDARD was XT, 4.77 MHz, ISA, IBM BIOS.  There were
several MS-DOS computers that DIED because they weren't as slow and
stupid as the PC or XT, so the programs written for IBM PC's didn't
run on them.

NOW: the STANDARD is XT, 4.77 MHz, ISA, IBM BIOS.  There's still a LOT
of software that won't run properly on anything else.  So, MS-DOS still
uses the 640K.  And 386's and 486's run in STUPID mode, most of the time.
Why do you think so may boxes have clock "slow-down" modes?  Also, there
are enough clones out that they have created a [34]86/EISA/Super VGA/
Phoenix BIOS standard of their own.

This doesn't mean that some software vendors haven't learned better.
Some of them have figured out how to run the [34]86 in 32-bit mode,
then switch back to run MS-DOS.  Windows-386 is better, too.

I'd say that when you can build a better computer, for a competitive price,
and people buy the dumb one, instead, you have a standard.  Apple has
created a standard Mac, Commodore has created a standard Amiga,...

How many CPU boards would GVP have sold if they didn't run Amiga software?

Dan Taylor
/* My opinions, not NCR's. */