Re: Not all micros are for PCs.

Post #139,308 by deSitter 2/2/04 11:05:42 AM Reply	Re: Not all micros are for PCs. The proto-PC looked a lot like the IBM PC but was based on the 80186 and had 8-in floppy drives, with BASIC and optional APL in ROM. Forgot the designation, but remember it was numeric. Used the same 5150 (?) green screen as the IBM PC. -drl
Post #139,313 by hnick 2/2/04 11:40:08 AM Reply	Yup... They went with the 8088 because the 8 bit bus was compatible with existing printers and such. It was also a few cents cheaper than the 186 and let them charge for extra comm features. IBM was big on synchronous protocols at the time and they could charge for an extra adapter card if you wanted to talk to the frames.
Post #139,357 by deSitter 2/2/04 3:51:53 PM Reply	Re: Yup... IIRC the 80186 had and onboard PIC and integrated clock as well, but this was not a good thing for use in a general device. I looked for info on this system and I could not find it. It was as close as possible to a PC, without being a PC. I strongly suspect it was a prototype and not a production model. My employer did a lot of business with IBM and the government, and a lot of "edge" equipment was scattered around. Could it have been a Xenix machine? -drl
Post #139,389 by hnick 2/2/04 5:59:34 PM Reply	Curiously enough, I have a 1991 16/32 embedded processors ma manual on my shelf. Ok, I'm a fucking packrat. Sue me. First page describes it as a "high integration 16-bit microprocessor" Integrated feature set: enhanced 8086-2 CPU 2 independent DMA channels PIC 3 programmable 16-bit timers Programmable memory and Peripheral Chip-select logic Programmable wait state generator local bus controller They had a CMOS version which, compared to current Xeons, pretty much ran for free. They had good development tools, with the notable exception of Mark Williams C, which sucked dead gophers. I had a lot of fun with them. Oh well, times change. Now just hang a bigger power supply on and throw hardware at the problems. Times don't necessarily change for the better...
Post #139,487 by orion 2/3/04 12:31:05 AM Reply	I looked at the timeline [link\|http://www.ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history/timeline-PRODUCT.html#139\|http://www.ox.compso...-PRODUCT.html#139] 1979 IBM announced it was working on a PC to compete with other Microcomputers. [link\|http://www.ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history/timeline-CPU.html#146\|http://www.ox.compso...line-CPU.html#146] 1981 the 80186/80188 chips were released. Question mark here. [link\|http://www.ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history/timeline-PRODUCT.html#147\|http://www.ox.compso...-PRODUCT.html#147] 1981 the IBM PC was released with the 8088 CPU. Intel timeline: [link\|http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/quickrefyr.htm\|http://www.intel.com...ts/quickrefyr.htm] 80186 did not come out unil 1982. One year after the IBM PC did. Unlikely it was used as a prototype for the IBM PC unless the 80186 CPU was a prototype itself back then and shared outside of Intel. Maybe IBM went with the 8088 because the 80186 would not be in production until a year later? The 80188 was a 8 bit bus, IIRC. If memory serves, before the IBM PC was the IBM Displaywriter. [link\|http://www-1.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc/pc_8.html\|http://www-1.ibm.com...bits/pc/pc_8.html] Check out the other systems that existed before the IBM PC, it shows that IBM was trying to make desktop computers before the IBM PC. *"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"*
Post #139,488 by deSitter 2/3/04 12:33:09 AM Reply	Re: I looked at the timeline I didn't say it was the prototype for the PC - I said it may have been a prototype for a machine that was never produced. You may not enjoy reading but it's a valuable skill. -drl
Post #139,505 by orion 2/3/04 2:04:29 AM Reply	Sorry my mistake I thought when you said it was as close to a PC without being a PC that it was a prototype before the PC was released. It had to become a prototype after the PC was released based on the Intel timeline. No mention of it at IBM that I can find. *"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"*
Post #139,508 by deSitter 2/3/04 2:22:43 AM Reply	Re: Sorry my mistake It's definitely not in the list of released machines as far as I know - I've looked several times. I thought it was a really cool thing because it had APL in ROM. It would boot like a PC but instead of BASIC coming up, it would be APL. -drl

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