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From: toma@tekgvs.TEK.COM (Thomas Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 80286/80287/80386/80387
Message-ID: <2279@tekgvs.TEK.COM>
Date: Tue, 12-May-87 10:31:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekgvs.2279
Posted: Tue May 12 10:31:55 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 16-May-87 03:21:12 EDT
References: <447@qiclab.UUCP>
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.UUCP (Thomas Almy)
Distribution: world
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR.
Lines: 15

In article <447@qiclab.UUCP> neighorn@qiclab.UUCP (Steven C. Neighorn) writes:
>
>Another problem is the complete lack of software to take advantage of the
>extra functionality on the 80*87 chips. MSDOS, in all its glory, will never
>do much more than make the higher end math coprocessors run 8087 code.
>Only unix and xenix take advantage of the 80287's added instructions. 

Not true, Steve.  The Metaware High C 386 compiler emits inline 80387 code for
trig functions.  It it runs under MS-DOS!  Their 286 version emits different
code for 287s than for 87s.  On the other hand protected mode 286 code is
beyond MSDOS except for VDISK type use.  But we know that the 286 is just a
Stop-Gap measure for the REAL processor, the 80386!

Tom Almy
(*NIX -- I hate it but I use it twice a day.)