Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!csn!kessner!david From: david@kessner.denver.co.us (David Kessner) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: 8-bit death Message-ID: <1991May2.010922.6096@kessner.denver.co.us> Date: 2 May 91 01:09:22 GMT References: <1991Apr30.112820.2451@sugar.hackercorp.com> <1991May1.064455.3058@kessner.denver.co.us> <1991May1.115856.13525@sugar.hackercorp.com> Organization: Kessner, Inc. Lines: 51 In article <1991May1.115856.13525@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >It's a bag on the side of the 8080. Everything from the instruction set to >its registers (and the direct mapping from its registers to the 8080's) >indicates this. >Just like an 8080 with external banking. >Sorry, mate. 8-bitness is in the blood. The 8088 was a bag on the side of >the 8080, and MS-DOS was a straight copy of CP/M, and there's no way to >get away from that. Same song, second verse... Ho-hum... You have effectively babbled, saying 'this isnt true, neither is that, this is the way it is' but still have not sais anything worthwhile. C'mon, an Amish is less passive that you are. Back up what you are saying! I contend that MS-DOS/CPM and 8088/8080 are different enough to be considered in their own light. Never mind this "It's based on this/that" BS! Tell us what features of MS-DOS make it an 8 bit OS. >-- and the keyboard and the parallel port and the screen (remember all the >snow problems on the screen because the DOS drivers weren't synchronised with >the vertical blank?) -- So what? This has _NOTHING_ do do with the topic of "How many bits is MS-DOS?" (But it does show how bad MS-DOS is...) The keyboard is not intterupt driven? Then someone should tell the guys at Phenix Technologies! In their book on the BIOS, the keyboard ISR is located at INT 09h (the Keyboard Device service routine is at INT 16h). Tis true that the printer driver is not normally intterupt driven, but all print spoolers are-- including the 'print' command that comes standard with MS-DOS. The only reason there was snow on the early displays was because the card was not designed well-- they were mostly CGA displays and some 'almost compatables' made by AT&T. This is not a problem in current machines. The only time I have seen snow on a VGA screen was when I was doing color cycling on an 800x600x256 color screen without syncing it to the refreash-- but this mode is way beyond the drivers anyway, so custom drivers are required anyway. >Peter da Silva. `-_-' >. -- David Kessner - david@kessner.denver.co.us | do { 1135 Fairfax, Denver CO 80220 (303) 377-1801 (p.m.) | . . . If you cant flame MS-DOS, who can you flame? | } while( jones);