🚀 go-pugleaf

spagiola@frinext.stanford.edu (Stefano Pagiola) writes:

>: Will NeXTSTEP 486 run on 386 machines?
>: No. NeXTSTEP 486 uses several 486 specific features that enhance
>: the performance of NeXTSTEP. NeXTSTEP 486 will support any true 
>: 486.
>: 
>: Will NeXTSTEP 486 run on the Cyrix 486SLC?
>: No. The Cyrix chip not a true 486.

>IMHO, if there are in fact processor-specific advantages to requiring  
>a 486, doing so makes sense.

Yeah, but I don't see any sensible reason for not making 386+387 the
minimum requirement - the differences between a 486 and a system with 386+387
are not exactly major, from a programming point of view.

No, I would guess that something else is going one here.  This actually
reminded me of something - what seems a long time ago, some programs checked
the PC ROM, and refused to run, unless they found an IBM copyright message
there.  Of course, other BIOS manufacturers found a way around this - one
BIOS even contains the text "Some software expects to find Copyright IBM here"
with "Copyright IBM located in exactly the right position"

Well, the only benefit I can see for making the software 486-specific is that
it would help selling '486 processors.  And who would benefit .... right,
Intel.

Letting the program to run on only true 486's does not help the end-user much,
but it is sure to hurt Cyrix and AMD....time to sell their stock :-) I guess.

Now, I am not suggesting that Intel may actually have paid for having them
make the software '486 specific...it wouldn't be nice to say that, but........

-frisk