Re: [EVEN MORE OFFTOPIC] Re: [?] Why should Distros be called as i386 for a 32-bit PC, and as amd64 for a 64-bit PC, when Intel Core PCs are also 64bit systems

[tomas]

On Mon, Mar 15, 2021 at 11:09:35AM +0100, Sven Hartge wrote:

[...]

> Another rumor I read was that IBM, when developing the first IBM PC in
> 1980, opted to use the 8086/8088 CPU instead of the also availble M68k
> CPU because the Intel one was less powerful so it would not be in
> competition with the mainframes the PC was supposed to interface with
> primarily.

Too lazy to research now, but it sounds credible, yes.

> If this rumor is true and IBM had acted differently, the PC ecosystem
> today would also look quite differently.

Or the Z8000. Absolutely. 8086 was, architecturally, the worst possible
choice at that time.

Cheers
 - t

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