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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5g!hou5h!hou5a!hou5d!hogpc!drux3!ihnp4!fortune!wall
From: wall@fortune.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Radio Shack PC compatibility
Message-ID: <1892@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 6-Dec-83 10:41:57 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.1892
Posted: Tue Dec  6 10:41:57 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Dec-83 02:13:49 EST
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 19


   The fact that the R.S. machine has a 80186 (I actually believe 
that it is an 80188 though...) by definition makes it incompatible
with a IBM PC. I'm sure that it will be compatible with MS-DOS, but 
that is far from the same thing as PC-DOS. All application programs
can interface at three different levels: operating system calls, 
BIOS calls, and hardware. Apps. that interface at the O.S. level only
will work fine between an 8088 machine and an 80188 machine, those 
that use the BIOS levels will probably be O.K. if Intel ever makes 
the interrupt structure the same between the 8088 and the 80188/186.
Those applications that touch the hardware directly will not be 
compatible with any machine that has different addresses or chips than
the original PC. Unfortunately, many of the sophisticated software 
packages available do this for speed or security reasons (Lotus 1-2-3,
and Flight Simulator come immediately to mind). This is a real shame,
if the software companies continue on this trend, it will really hurt
the MS-DOS machines, and the 80186 machines...
						-Jim