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From: mikey@trsvax
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: NEC V20 8088 compatible microproces
Message-ID: <53400074@trsvax>
Date: Mon, 16-Sep-85 11:31:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: trsvax.53400074
Posted: Mon Sep 16 11:31:00 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Sep-85 05:03:46 EDT
References: <207@ittral.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:ittral.UUCP:-20700:trsvax:53400074:000:2012
Nf-From: trsvax!mikey    Sep 16 10:31:00 1985




I went back and dug up the article about Intel and NEC fighting it
out over the V20.  

First, it is in the June 17 issue of EE imes, page 7 if anybody wnats
to look it up.  The following is some of the information from the article.

Second, NEC filed the first lawsuit, asking a federal court to rule there
is no infringement, this was after providing Intel with samples the 
previous August but getting no response.

Third, the Intel 8088 uses a single bus structure, the V20 uses a 
double bus structure.

Fourth, the Intel 8088 uses microwords 21 bits wide, the V20 uses
microwords 29 bits wide (sorry about the number error in a previous posting)

Finally, Intel and NEC have an agreement giving each other full access to
each others patents, so there can be no patent infringment suit to begin with.
Intel can't sue for the microcode, even if it was a direct copy.  As it is,
they are suing for using the same "expression of program".  If they win,
this could apply to all aspects of "reverse engineering" causing all 
kinds of restrictive ramifications in the software and hardware market.

There is other info in the article, read it if you are really interested.
As to the V20 vs the 8088, speed in some aspects is incredible with the V20,
but on a system that is disk intensive, one access and you lose a lot of
the benefits, unless you redo the disk I/O to take advantage of the faster
I/O, probably just experiment with interleave would be enough.  Overall, 
don't expect lightning, just 5% to 30% in most cases.  There is an 8 mhz
part, but I don't have anything to try it in.  There is also a numeric
coprocesor.  I don't know anything about it's speed, but I would like
it just because it's CMOS and won't turn massive amounts of power into
massive amopunts of heat.

Be careful of the gotchas, bugs in programs that may become worse due
to different execution of previously illegal opcodes.  Presonally, I got
a sample of the V20 for my brothers Tandy 1000 and it runs great.

mikey at trsvax


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