bis-model Computers?

[hunter]

The bis model has the math co-processor naturally...

 

[BytePro]

Or is a defective (or partially disabled) Mod-2/3

'See Ted... all you do is re-connect these two traces here... and viola you got yourself a gen-u-ine Mod-2 for like free.'

'What? Naw, that extra space is just for show - they gotta give you something for that extra million...'​

 

[PFVA63]

Hi

A second version or a revision - i.e. enhanced in this case.

So a Mod-1bis would be an 'enhanced Model 1' capable of performing a higher jump level but not run more software. I seem to vaguely remember the term actually used in the RW - probably in reference to some IBM models or some CPUs with special bit-width enhancements... or maybe some standards docs.

Thanks

Pat

 

[BlackBat242]

And add to that the ability to write software has moved forward in leaps & bounds in the last 30 years.

Regressed badly, actually.

Any professional software-writer today writes code that takes several times the memory to do what a programmer would have written 30 years ago to do exactly the same things.

My brother got his DP degree in 1980... and just shakes his head at the code he sees in modern software (he runs the computing systems for the Reno control center for NV Energy, Inc... controlling the electric grid in Nevada and {until 2009} eastern California).

 

[aramis]

Regressed badly, actually.

Any professional software-writer today writes code that takes several times the memory to do what a programmer would have written 30 years ago to do exactly the same things.

A small part of that is the memory word size.

Most of those old computers used either a 4 bit or an 8-bit word.
Most modern computers use a 16-bit or 32-bit word.

WHen one writes a program for a 4-bit-per-instruction 8-bit address, instructions range from 4 to 12 bits each. on an 8-bit word, that same instruction is 8 or 16 bits.

That very same code on a compatible 64 bit computer using 64bit words is 64 or 128 bits per instruction.

Add to that that some newer processors have 3-word instructions in the set as well, allowing direct memory access rather than just Register+Address commands.

But, yeah, there is a lot of needless code bloat. Monolithic kernels. Lots of bound in but little used protocols. Binding in whole libraries for one or two functions. Large collection libraries instead of more-but-smaller libraries.

Truth be told, I'd love a version of Win 3.1 and MS-DOS 6.22 ported to 32-bit processing... the pure control it allowed was awesome, and with a 32 bit memory address instead of 16 bit... and no artificial 640K limit... it could be really freaking awesome. And bloody fast. Heck, DOS-Box runs games too fast on my mac for some of the DOS games... and that's a VM solution.

Back before OSX, many mac applications were smaller than their windows counterparts, despite nearly identical non-HI† source code... because the HI code was so much smaller and relied upon calls to the ROM rather than binding in the specific HI elements. Same for PalmOS programs under PalmOS 3 & 4; smaller even than MacOSX.

Until we hit a severe limitation on code size again, we won't see a return to tightly optimized and minimized code. And with the current systems, until we get 3d HI code or a demand for natural language interfaces, we're unlikely to hit that optimization need.

† HI=Human Interface

 

[shadowcat20]

It always amazes me what type of games we had on the C-64 with just a single disk. The same thing today would have to be on 2 CD's. Graphics is a lot of it but I had a friend explain it better.

He stated that memory was cheaper than the man hours it would cost to tighten the code. You could tighten it up and make it cleaner but double the cost. Pure business decision, substandard product made cheaper for more profit. In the old days they HAD to cram it all on 1 disk so things got very efficient.

 

[inexorabletash]

Besides being off-topic

Ahem. Back on topic...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIS

I interpret this much like the Apple II+ (1979) vs the original Apple II (1977) - the second release of a system with more pre-installed memory and other slight improvements, but not a change of architecture like the Apple ///, Lisa or Macintosh.

 

[aramis]

Ahem. Back on topic...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIS

I interpret this much like the Apple II+ (1979) vs the original Apple II (1977) - the second release of a system with more pre-installed memory and other slight improvements, but not a change of architecture like the Apple ///, Lisa or Macintosh.

The best example of bis as an adjective on tech is the Santos-Dumont 14-bis... which was the revision of his model 14.

 

[E.D.Quibell]

I think Hunter has it.

When I added the 8087 to my PC it drastically improved the performamce.

Best regards,

Ewan

 

[dean]

French usage as "again"; I've seen it used in reference to upgraded/changed versions of aircraft models of WWI era planes.