Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!menudo.uh.edu!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: 8-bit death
Message-ID: <1991May2.103334.25515@sugar.hackercorp.com>
Organization: Sugar Land Unix -- Houston, TX
References: <1991May1.064455.3058@kessner.denver.co.us> <1991May1.115856.13525@sugar.hackercorp.com> <1991May2.010922.6096@kessner.denver.co.us>
Date: Thu, 2 May 1991 10:33:34 GMT

In article <1991May2.010922.6096@kessner.denver.co.us> david@kessner.denver.co.us (David Kessner) writes:
> I contend that MS-DOS/CPM and 8088/8080 are different enough to be considered
> in their own light.  Never mind this "It's based on this/that" BS!  Tell us
> what features of MS-DOS make it an 8 bit OS.  

Tell me what features make it a 16-bit one. MS-DOS 1.X was a straight copy of
CP/M-80, so how about starting there and tell me why a straight copy isn't
the same sort of software. If you can't do that, tell me which of the handful
of features added in 2.X make the difference.

> The keyboard is not intterupt driven?  Then someone should tell the guys
> at Phenix Technologies!  In their book on the BIOS, the keyboard ISR is
> located at INT 09h (the Keyboard Device service routine is at INT 16h).

Yes, but it's not known to MS-DOS. Have you decided to include the ROM BIOS
in your definition of MS-DOS? The HP-150 at work I'm using as a smart terminal
has a completely different BIOS: does that mean it doesn't run MS-DOS?

Why don't you include the hardware as well? Or the application?

> Tis true that the printer driver is not normally intterupt driven, but all
> print spoolers are-- including the 'print' command that comes standard with
> MS-DOS. 

Right. The application has to take over because the O/S doesn't take advantage
of it.
-- 
Peter da Silva.   `-_-'
<peter@sugar.hackercorp.com>.
