SIMD/intrinsincs questions

[Lutger]

Walter Bright wrote:

> Don wrote:
>> I'd say it's not a problem to use MMX or even SSE1. It's really, really
>> difficult to find a processor that doesn't support them. I've tried.
>> I've really tried. I don't think many are still around: they all have
>> motherboards which require really small hard disks that you can no
>> longer buy. Certainly no-one is putting new software on them.
>> Earlier this year I had to install Windows3.1 (!!!) on an ancient PC at
>> work, to support an ancient but expensive bit of lab equipment. Even it
>> was a Pentium II. Getting the spare parts for it was a nightmare*; we
>> had to ship them from 600km away. Hard disks just don't last that long.
> 
> I do have a working Pentium around here somewhere. I even have a 486,
> though I haven't turned the machine on in 15 years. I no longer have a
> 386 (gave it away).
> 
> 10 years ago, I heard that the 386 was commonly used in embedded
> systems. I don't know what the base level x86 used today is.

Until recently my stepdad still had his 8086 setup to interface with an old-
school velotype keyboard. I even built a nasty old 5 1/2 inch floppy drive 
into his shiny dualcore rig, which he used to transfer plain text files 
between the two machines. It worked fine.