7 May
2010
7 May
'10
1:30 p.m.
On Fri, 7 May 2010, Roger Holmes wrote:
When I did my computer science degree (1971-4) it was
the largest
addressable item of main storage (core back then). By that definition
the early IBM PC was 8 bit and so were machines like the Victor.
That was a defensible definition, while it lasted.
Personally I don't really care as long as you
compare like with like.
What rankled with me back in the 80s was that machines with 8 bit data
busses and 16 bit registers were being described as 16 bit when at the
same time the 16 bit data bus machines with 32 bit registers like the
Lisa and Mac were also being described as 16 bit. Apple played by the
rules when every one else's marketing people lied their heads off.
While there were others who abused the nomenclature even more, I remember
an Apple employee taking offense when I referred to the 68000 as "the best
currently available 16 bit processor".