> : It's not pre-x86. It's an 8 bit external data bus version of the 8086. = But > : it is ancient. > http://www.sxlist.com/techref/intel/8086.HTM: > "Intel introduced the 8086 and 8088 microprocessor extensions to the 8080 > product line in 1979." That's a misleading statement. The 8086 (developed before the 8088) is a completely different chip. The only thing similar to the 8080 and it is the mnemonics and flag register, and even that's a stretch. The opcodes and architecture are completely different. The 8086 (which came before the 8088) was designed to have an instruction set that would be easy to port 8080 code from, though it's still a lot of work. Nice in theory, but had a lot of snags, and not all instructions operated the same, especially when concerning flags. An example: loopEntry: =09ld=09a, (hl) =09ld=09(de), a =09inc=09hl =09inc=09de =09djnz=09loopEntry Translates to x86 mnemonics as: loopEntry: =09mov=09al, [si] =09mov=09[di], al =09inc=09si =09inc=09di =09dec=09bl =09jnz=09loopEntry > See also: http://www.intel.com/intel/museum/25anniv/hof/hof_main.htm Which says nothing of a relationship between the 8086/8088 and the 8080. > Sorry, but the thing looks to be pre-x86 from here ... ;-) Sorry, but you're flatly wrong. The 8086 was developed *BEFORE* the 8088 was. The 8088 is an 8086 with an 8 bit data bus and was a cheaper chip than the 8086. Check this page: http://www.intel.com/intel/museum/25anniv/hof/tspecs.htm Release date of the 8086: 6/8/78 Release date of the 8088: 6/1/79 The 8088 came a year later than the 8086. And note Intel's note in the brief description row: "Identical to 8086 except for its 8-bit external bus". BTW, I worked on CPU upgrade boards AT INTEL for 8088 based PCs (remember the Inboard 386?). I'm perfectly aware of the differences between the two chips and its (lack of) relationship to the 8080, the 8085, and even Zilog's Z80. -->Neil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- Neil Bradley Toda su base es pertenece a nosotros. Nadie inst=C3 Synthcom Systems, Inc. =A1lenos la bomba! Mu=C3=A9vase, Zig!=20 ICQ #29402898=09 =20 -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu