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> I remember watching this video on the Intel 8086 by Harvard Business School, and they mentioned how revolutionary it is from a business perspective because it

by brazzy 7y ago

> I remember watching this video on the Intel 8086 by Harvard Business School, and they mentioned how revolutionary it is from a business perspective because it took a vertically integrated market and made it a horizontally integrated market. I never really fully appreciated this until I read a review (probably linked on HN) for a new system released in 1981 or 1982 and my mind couldn't stop boggling at how there was a CPU with its custom ISA and an OS written specifically for that ISA and applications written specifically for that OS, and the reviewer was praising some innovative features of the ISA and how the applications could make use of those. The icing of the cake was how the reviewer discussed how this system could be a big commercial success and which other systems it might take marketshare from - without ever mentioning the IBM PC released around the same time...

zwischenzug 7y ago
This is a great reminder that everything in business history looks obvious in retrospect.
new299 7y ago
The irony is that the ARM architecture was also developed in the same way. A custom CPU, for a new machine, with an operating system specifically designed for it, and applications written specifically for that OS (the Acorn Archimedes/RiscOS). The platform ended up failing, but they spun out ARM. If ARM end up overtaking Intel on the desktop, it gives the story some entertaining irony/symmetry.
- jonplackett 7y ago
  I still can't quite believe those crappy computers in my school IT lab eventually morphed into iPhones. Saying that, I did write my first ever computer program on them and ended up making iPhone apps.
  - new299 7y ago
    When they were released in the 1990s they were pretty capable machines. The OS had its issues, but I don’t think it faired badly against DOS/Windows 3.11. They were however largely limited to the UK marketed, and had a more limited selection of software. I’m not sure it’s really fair to characterize them as “crappy”.
    - jonplackett 7y ago
      I'm being mean I guess - I had a PC at home and it could do so so so much more.

by brazzy 7y ago

zwischenzug 7y ago

This is a great reminder that everything in business history looks obvious in retrospect.

new299 7y ago

The irony is that the ARM architecture was also developed in the same way. A custom CPU, for a new machine, with an operating system specifically designed for it, and applications written specifically for that OS (the Acorn Archimedes/RiscOS). The platform ended up failing, but they spun out ARM. If ARM end up overtaking Intel on the desktop, it gives the story some entertaining irony/symmetry.

jonplackett 7y ago
I still can't quite believe those crappy computers in my school IT lab eventually morphed into iPhones. Saying that, I did write my first ever computer program on them and ended up making iPhone apps.
- new299 7y ago
  When they were released in the 1990s they were pretty capable machines. The OS had its issues, but I don’t think it faired badly against DOS/Windows 3.11. They were however largely limited to the UK marketed, and had a more limited selection of software. I’m not sure it’s really fair to characterize them as “crappy”.
  - jonplackett 7y ago
    I'm being mean I guess - I had a PC at home and it could do so so so much more.