For a new 80x86-based embedded system, I suggest you look at something like
the 80188 (widely available).  Try the Intel WWW site if you really want to
pursue this.

[The 80x86 (like all the 80x86s) is a microprocessor, while the PICs (and
8051, etc) are microcontrollers.  Essentially, the difference is that the
microprocessor needs several external components (like memory) to do
anything useful.  Try Arcom (etc) for suitable boards.]

The main advantage of the 80x86 family, from the developers point of view,
is that you can use 'desktop' compilers (like Borland C) to program this
family.  This can help some people (depending on their background)
development 80x86 applications more quickly than - say - an equivalent PIC
application.

(This is probably a lot more than you wanted to know...)

Michael.

Michael J. Pont
http://www.le.ac.uk/engineering/mjp9/

----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Pringle <cpringle@LATRIGG.DEMON.CO.UK>
To: <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2001 5:13 PM
Subject: Re: [PIC]: Voice synthesis


> Wow, I never knew any of that.
> So, can you still buy 8088s? And, if so, what can they do. Do you need
> EPROMS for memory? Can they be used in the same way as a PIC can?
>
> ---
> Regards,
> Chris Pringle
> Web      http://www.latrigg.demon.co.uk
> Rating http://www.h-2k.co.uk/hexuser/showuser.asp?id=163
> IM       cpringleUK@hotmail.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pic microcontroller discussion list
> [mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Olin Lathrop
> Sent: 21 April 2001 14:15
> To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: Re: [PIC]: Voice synthesis
>
>
> > Sorry for being REALLY dumb, but whats an 8088?
>
> It's an 8 bit bus version of the 8086, which was one of the first
> commercially available 16 bit microprocessors.  The 8086 was the 8080
> architecture extended to 16 bits wide, which was the 4040 architecture
> extended to 8 bits wide.  The 4040 was an enhanced version of the 4004,
the
> world's first microprocessor.
>
> The 8086/8088 is also the direct ancestor of today's Pentium line.  After
> the 8086, Intel named these processors the 80x86, with the X incremented
> each new generation.  The 32 bit architecture required by today's
operating
> systems like Windows NT appeared first on the 80386.  When Intel got to
the
> 80586 they found some weeny had deliberately trademarked that name just
for
> that purpose.  Instead of paying off the weeny, Intel renamed the 80586 to
> the Pentium.  Newer generations are currently named with a roman numeral
> following the Pentium name.  The Pentium-III is therefore what would have
> otherwise been the 80786 had the original naming scheme been preserved.
>
> I may have a few model number details garbled, but that is generally the
> gist of it.
>
>
> ********************************************************************
> Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Littleton Massachusetts
> (978) 742-9014, olin@embedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com
>
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