Re: The Apple ][ was cool!

["william strutts" <wrstrutts1@nospam.home.com>]

"Christer Palm" <palm@nogui.se> wrote in message
3B55DDB6.A643235D@nogui.se">news:3B55DDB6.A643235D@nogui.se...
> william strutts wrote:
> >
> > The data bus was definitely 8-bit hence we had 8-bit ISA slots
> > which to me would say that the machine is an 8-bit computer.
> > With the advent of the 286 AT, we had 16-bit data bus which
> > lead us to the new standard 16-bit ISA slots.   The perception
> > of the original XT was that it was an 8-bit compter.  Or more
> > precisely stated an 8/16 bit computer and the 286 AT was a
> > 16-bit computer.
> >
>
> IMHO, the PC/XT/AT's were clearly 16-bit computers.
>
> One shouldn't start to look at memory and I/O bus widths when talking
> about the bit-ness of a computer. In any modern architechture, these
> will vary wildely - 256 bit memory busses are not uncommon, while I/O
> busses are still mostly 32 bits - even in some 64-bit machines.
>
> The bit-ness is popularly defined by the largest data operand that the
> processor can internally operate on with "base" efficiency, or basically
> the width of the processors internal data bus. I.e. 8 bits for the 6809,
> 16 bits for the 8086 - 80286 and 68000, 32 bits for the 80386-.
>

Then the 68000 is a 32 bit computer in  your words because it
is internally 32 bits.

--
--
William R. Strutts - wrstrutts1@nospam.home.com - Whatever!

C'est moi!  http://www.facelink.com/wrstrutts

Just hacking away...

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