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- From: wilken@plains.NoDak.edu (Scott Wilken)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
- Subject: Re: Can software be 486-specific?
- Message-ID: <BxM5s9.EHB@ns1.nodak.edu>
- Date: 12 Nov 92 17:26:33 GMT
- Article-I.D.: ns1.BxM5s9.EHB
- References: <BxL9qH.M45@utdallas.edu>
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- Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computing Network
- Lines: 41
- Nntp-Posting-Host: plains.nodak.edu
-
- In article <BxL9qH.M45@utdallas.edu> goyal@utdallas.edu (Mohit K. Goyal) writes:
- >
- >I have heard/read that Windows NT & NeXTSTEP 486 will *require* 486 chips.
-
- This is true of NeXTstep, but I think that Windows NT will run on a 386
- (someone please correct me if im wrong on that point)...
-
- >
- >Is this possible?
-
- Very possible... The 486 has several instructions that the 386 doesnt
- have. If the programmers use them, then of course the program wont
- run on lesser processors...
-
- >If so, does it apply to 486DX or DX & SX?
-
- Both.. The SX implements the complete DX instruction set, execpt for the
- floating point instructions...
-
- >Is it really possible to write software that will run on a 486SX that
- >will not run on a 386DX(or SX)?
-
- As I said, you betcha.....
-
- >hotcakes, & mathco's are cheap, it would seem silly to exclude this
- >market, the whole 386 market in fact, from you product.
-
- Now that statement I dont agree with. If programmers refused to take
- advantage of the technology available to them, they are dooming us, the
- users. Of course those of us who own 386's may be left in the cold
- on rare occasions, but its worth it in my mind.
-
- What would have happened if all programs continued to run on an 8088
- based machine? I dont think we would be seeing a windows nt...
- (assuming NT ever gets released to us :) :) :) :) :)
-
- Scott
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