Re: question

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Re: question

Reinier Zwitserloot (R.Zwitserloot@btinternet.com) wrote:
:
: See, every processor has one language. They can't have more than 1. Heh,
: not quite true.. the i486, for example, knows 3. Real, V86, and protected.
: But they are really all part of one: i486. (It just happends that i486
: contains all the commands the i86 had..) So, a deassembler for the i486
: will take it and disassemble it into the appropriate i486 Machine Code

A processor was developed a few years ago that could function as either
an 80486 or a 68040 depending on it's mode.  It containted everything
necessary to function either way.  I don't have a lot of detail on this
but I do know that it existed.  It was developed by the same guy that
developed the 4004 for Intel.  It was done by a Japanese company with the
idea that a computer could be built that could run both Mac and PC software
and not with emulation.

I don't know what happened to this.  Maybe the pentium or Power PC put
them out of the market or maybe they didn't have financing but the chip
did exist according to several articles I read including some by those
who had tested samples.

I'm not trying to prove you wrong.  This is an oddball thing and it seems
it wasn't very successful, but it did exist and I thought you might
find it interesting.

Barry
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