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From: dave@sdeggo.UUCP (David L. Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Intel Microprocessors
Message-ID: <75@sdeggo.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Aug-87 19:15:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdeggo.75
Posted: Fri Aug  7 19:15:42 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Aug-87 07:22:44 EDT
References: <1112@lznv.ATT.COM> <399@aucs.UUCP> <3225@cucca.columbia.edu> <789@unccvax.UUCP>
Organization: Lazy Programmer's Society of San Diego
Lines: 46

In article <789@unccvax.UUCP>, cbenda@unccvax.UUCP (carl m benda) writes:
> In article <234@etn-rad.UUCP>, jru@etn-rad.UUCP (John Unekis) writes:
> > 	make use of their opportunity to escape from the Intel tar pit
> > 	and use the MC68020 to make the PS/2 into a REAL computer?
> Well John, can you say memory management?  Why is it that a 4 meg Mac
> can't run a real multitasking operating system?  It has the wonderous
> 68000 microprocessor.  Awww guess what? it can't manage its own memory.
> Segmentation allows the Intel chips to manage their memory.  

Can we say segments are a pain in the ass?  Have you tried doing any work
on an 80286 running Microport?  char * != int breaks half the known code 
in exsistance, and all thanks to those damned segments.  Can we say "No
arrays larger than 64K?"  This is another _major_ pain.  Also, all that
segment loading and unloading slows things down quite a bit.

>I suggest
> you put a MAC with 4 meg next to an AT with 4 meg of memory running
> Microport system V or SCO Xenix and place your bets as to which machine
> can start compiling 4 different programs simultaneously.  You see John,
> not even the 'powerful' 68020 can run UNIX without the aid of a WHOLE
> different chip to aid it namely the 68851 MMU.  Just ask computer engineers
> which chip set they'd rather design a computer with.  
Put the AT next to a Sun and see which one compiles more programs off the
net.
Ask any programmer.  Most of them will tell you that working with an
80x8x chip is a lot less fun than working with a 680x0.  You see, Carl, the
system designer only has to do his job once.  If it's a toss-up between
making it easier for the programmers, or making it easier for the designers,
it should be made easier for the programmers.  After all, it's the
programmers that the designers are making the machine for, is it not?

> 
> One final note, the 386 has a 1meg segment limit.  What a limit.
> What size segmentation would you like?
I think it's 1G.  That just goes to show you that Intel finally wised up
and basically did away with segments.
> 
> /Carl
> ...decvax!mcnc!unccvax!cbenda


-- 
David L. Smith
{sdcsvax!sdamos,ihnp4!jack!man, hp-sdd!crash}!sdeggo!dave
sdeggo!dave@sdamos.ucsd.edu 
Microport Unix!  More bugs for the buck!