PSU uses emacs?

[Grant Edwards]

In article <mailman.980546199.11562.python-list at python.org>, Jürgen A. Erhard wrote:

>    >>> [...] Who designed DOS anyway, Gary Kildall wasn't it?
>
>    >> That was CP/M, the 16-bit version of which was considered by
>    >> IBM for their PC but not chosen.  MS-DOS was first licensed and
>    >> then purchased by Microsoft from Seattle Computer Products.  It
>    >> was written by Tim Paterson; heavy CP/M influence is evident,
>    >> but it was far from a clone.  See Paul Ceruzzi, /A History of
>    >> Modern Computing/.
>
>    Grant> Looked like a clone to me.  Virtually identical FCB
>    Grant> structure, BIOS entry point at 0x0005, same executable
>    Grant> layout, etc. etc.
>
>What I recall from the time is that (I heard then) there was a tool
>(from Intel?) that could convert 8080 assembly code to 8086/88
>assembly code.

I remember reading about that translator in Intel literature
when the 8086 was introduced.  I never met anybody who used it.

>So with a virtually identical OS (in the important things as you,
>Grant, mentioned), application vendors could *very* easily port their
>CP/M software to QDOS (recall that *then*, and especially on CP/M,
>virtually all software was still being written in assembly).

I'm not sure how many apps were "mechanically" ported from CP/M
to DOS.  I vaguely recall reading that they usually ended up
being rewritten by hand.  As a result of Intel's desire to be
backwards compatible with the 8080, we've been saddled with the
brain-dead 8086 architecture ever since.

>PS: Does this all mean that I'm *OLD*?  ;-)

Yup -- at least in the computer world.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  I didn't order
                                  at               any WOO-WOO... Maybe a
                               visi.com            YUBBA... But no WOO-WOO!