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Path: utzoo!watmath!wateng!broehl
From: broehl@wateng.UUCP (Bernie Roehl)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: 8087 software emulator
Message-ID: <995@wateng.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-May-84 09:22:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: wateng.995
Posted: Tue May 15 09:22:52 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 16-May-84 03:30:16 EDT
References: <144@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 13

The problem with 8087 "emulators" is that they have to be part of the
language; compilers will either generate code to use the 8087 or they
will generate calls to a run-time library of floating-point routines to
perform equivalent functions.

If they generate code to use the 8087 directly, there's no way to "trap"
this; they are instructions like any other, and so can be executed anywhere
and anytime.  Thus no memory-resident emulator is possible; it's *not* like
writing something to field keystrokes and process them before passing them
on to the system.

-- 
        -Bernie Roehl    (University of Waterloo)