Scali wrote on 2023-06-14, 18:54:True, but generally speaking, the term 'XT' was short for 'IBM PC/XT or compatible'... effectively XT became synonymous with 808 […]
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Jo22 wrote on 2023-06-14, 15:04:
I know. I just meant to say that CPU type and XT/AT aren't always tied to each others.
True, but generally speaking, the term 'XT' was short for 'IBM PC/XT or compatible'... effectively XT became synonymous with 8088 machines (or V20 ones).
8086 and 186-based machines were really rare, so pretty much everything that wasn't an XT was a 286 or better, and the short term for that became 'AT'.
Jo22 wrote on 2023-06-14, 15:04:
A better example would be upgrade boards, like the Intel Inboard/386.
Yea, but those are exceptional cases. It's an XT machine with a CPU upgrade installed.
Every 286 Tandy 1000 series machine was an XT with only 8 IRQs and 8 bit slots
The myth of the rare 8086 goes back to Intels gimped silicon problems that extended into 82/83
Many 8086 cores that wouldn’t pass at 4.77mhz 16 bit transfers would be wired up as 8088’s
This is sort of like the original 486sx just being Intels attempt to use up gimped silicon.
Why running an identical core limited to 8 bit transfers allowed it to meet the 5mhz spec god only knows but this issue placed a premium price on the 8086 CPU coupled with the higher board price very early which limited them into low volume oddities like s100 machines.
Compaq had early 8086 based machines as did many others, they were considered premium or mid range for a number of years which likely priced them out.
Some XT software would flake out even on a 6mhz 8086 so that was also a demerit as early on there was one speed and one standard to rule them all.
But IBMs early 8086 based ps2’s certainly weren’t rare just less common
Even generic boards with 8086’s of various flavors were far from rare.
It’s just the 8088’s we’re literally the cheapest which is what most would buy given the high price of even a cheap system at that time.
People made due as nearly all software through 1989 would still run on an XT.
So more a case of less common than the lowest common denominator.
This argument is like saying 286’s are rare.
In 1983, yes, 1992 no.
Worth noting as well that home built Pc/XT x86 was rather uncommon even as clone boards became a thing 1986+