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From: jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: 8-bit death
Message-ID: <3335.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz>
Date: 8 May 91 08:04:32 GMT
References: <1991Apr30.112820.2451@sugar.hackercorp.com> 
 <1991May1.064455.3058@kessner.denver.co.us> <2945.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz> <1991May7.090333.1449@kessner.denver.co.us>
Organization: TAP, NZAmigaUG.
Lines: 36

Quoted from <1991May7.090333.1449@kessner.denver.co.us> by david@kessner.denver.co.us (David Kessner):
> In article <2945.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz> jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) writes:

> >    When one calls an MS-DOS "interrupt" (haw, reminds me of the C= 64),

> >    That's a fundamental part of the OS that is only 8 bits.

> The 68000, 68030 (not sure of the 040), 386, etc all offer 256 different 
> intterupts (READ: 8 bits).  The C-64 (and the 6502/6510) had _THREE_, and

    So? I meant the way you call the OS. In the C= 64 it involved either
    ROM jumping or using fixed tables of vectors into the ROMs. In the
    PClone, it appears to involve using fixed tables of vectors into the
    ROMs.

    I could be wrong here. Is there some other decent way to call an
    MS-DOS function besides using that vector table? All I ever see is
    the int86() etc functions in Microsoft C.

> In any OS, there will be several areas that are only 8 bits, simply
> because it does not make sense to use more.  For instance, keeping a

    No doubt. But in MS-DOS this is a _fundamental_ part of the thing.

> In short:  So?  This is supposed to be a problem?

    No (not any more than any other MS-DOS feature, anyhow. Sharing
    interrupts strikes me as being reminiscent of the C= 64 as well,
    and also seems like a pain in the a). This is supposed to be an
    example of why MS-DOS is a puny OS, therefore 8-bit (hm, doesn't
    the '-' in 8-bit mean "or less"? :).

> David Kessner - david@kessner.denver.co.us            | do {
--
*** John Bickers, TAP, NZAmigaUG.        jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz ***
***         "Endless variations, make it all seem new" - Devo.          ***