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Cyhist Jan 20 1997 D
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Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 13:13:51 -0800
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
From: Ray Duncan <duncan@csmc.edu>
Subject: Re: Early Microsoft history
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
The story as I have heard it is that they used an existing 8080 emulator to debug their Basic interpreter prior to going to Albuquerque to demonstrate it. I think this is covered pretty well in Mane's book on Gates. Definitely use of emulators to develop microprocessor software was a well-established technique by then.
This does not in any way detract from Gates/Allen's accomplishment of getting a high-level language running on a machine with so little memory or Microsoft's aggressive use of cross-assemblers and emulators during the early years to develop software for micros.
Ray Duncan
duncan@cerf.net
>----------
>From: Bob Bickford
>Sent: Sunday, January 19, 1997 21:49
>To: Multiple recipients of list CYHIST
>Subject: Early Microsoft history
>
>______________________________________________________________________
>Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
>
>
>Hey, computer history experts: maybe you can shed some light on something
>for me. The following was said on the WELL:
>
>I'm pretty sure Gates and Allen were the first to come up with the technique of writing microcomputer software on minicomputers by emulating
>the micro's CPU in software. That gave them a big edge over other micro
>developers, which led to Microsoft becoming the major supplier of BASIC
>for early micros, which gave Gates the contacts he later needed to sell
>MS-DOS to cloners.
>
>It just doesn't ring true to me -- I know that emulation goes back a long
>way, and I'm sure that micros were being emulated throughout the 70s. In
>fact, in my response I asserted (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) that emulation
>was invented about five minutes after there were two different models of
>computer in the world. Anyway, perhaps this would make a good topic for
>the Computer History List to discuss......
>
>--
>Robert Bickford rab@well.com
>"Professional Wild-Eyed Visionary"
>
>______________________________________________________________________
>
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
From: Ray Duncan <duncan@csmc.edu>
Subject: Re: Early Microsoft history
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
The story as I have heard it is that they used an existing 8080 emulator to debug their Basic interpreter prior to going to Albuquerque to demonstrate it. I think this is covered pretty well in Mane's book on Gates. Definitely use of emulators to develop microprocessor software was a well-established technique by then.
This does not in any way detract from Gates/Allen's accomplishment of getting a high-level language running on a machine with so little memory or Microsoft's aggressive use of cross-assemblers and emulators during the early years to develop software for micros.
Ray Duncan
duncan@cerf.net
>----------
>From: Bob Bickford
>Sent: Sunday, January 19, 1997 21:49
>To: Multiple recipients of list CYHIST
>Subject: Early Microsoft history
>
>______________________________________________________________________
>Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
>
>
>Hey, computer history experts: maybe you can shed some light on something
>for me. The following was said on the WELL:
>
>I'm pretty sure Gates and Allen were the first to come up with the technique of writing microcomputer software on minicomputers by emulating
>the micro's CPU in software. That gave them a big edge over other micro
>developers, which led to Microsoft becoming the major supplier of BASIC
>for early micros, which gave Gates the contacts he later needed to sell
>MS-DOS to cloners.
>
>It just doesn't ring true to me -- I know that emulation goes back a long
>way, and I'm sure that micros were being emulated throughout the 70s. In
>fact, in my response I asserted (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) that emulation
>was invented about five minutes after there were two different models of
>computer in the world. Anyway, perhaps this would make a good topic for
>the Computer History List to discuss......
>
>--
>Robert Bickford rab@well.com
>"Professional Wild-Eyed Visionary"
>
>______________________________________________________________________
>
