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At the time, DOS and the original (8088) IBM PC primarily competed with 8-bit micros: 8080 systems running CP/M and the 6502-based Apple II. In that context, t
by hapless 13y ago
At the time, DOS and the original (8088) IBM PC primarily competed with 8-bit micros: 8080 systems running CP/M and the 6502-based Apple II.
In that context, they were probably talking about the upcoming generation of microcomputers, based around bigger chips: 80286, 68k, etc
- kjs3 13y agoXenix ran on the 8086, FWIW. As I recall, the intent of the statement was the thought on M$ part that users would want a more capable system when the new processors were mainstream and DOS would be retired and replaced with Xenix. Obviously, this didn't pan out.
- akira2501 13y agoThe 8080 had a 16bit address bus, though; which is what I always assumed was meant by referring to a machine by it's "bit count."
- ANTSANTS 13y agoBy that logic, the 6502 is a 16-bit CPU, because it (and just about every other CPU we call 8-bit) has a 16-bit address bus. The 68000 has a 16-bit data bus and ALU, a 24-bit address bus, and 32-bit registers, but is usually considered a 16-bit CPU. I guess for older CPUs, the data bus and the ALU size are the determining factors.