06-11-2023, 05:03 PM
(06-11-2023, 03:04 AM)eoredson Wrote: I can't find a fpu emulator and the 486 has no fpu so therefore we are going to scrap the whole entire machine.
Before scrapping the computer, try to compile the program with BASIC PDS v7.1. I don't know the switch for "BC.EXE" to enable the software emulator. Probably it's "-Fe" ("-F" for coprocessor and "e" for emulation.) QuickBASIC's "BC.EXE" couldn't do that because it was supposed to be the base edition. It indicated M$ and Untel were never on the same page.
A computer with 486 CPU was definitely capable of "protected mode" stuff, with or without co-processor. The 16-bit DLL's and "virtual device drivers" for Windows v3 were essentially full of it. The problem is programs created with PDS in that mode won't work on even older equipment and especially if it adheres to the 640KB RAM limit imposed by MS-DOS without extended memory trickery.
LOL I used to crave for an IBM PS/2 Model 30 with monochrome graphics. How technology has advanced so that I can't imagine anymore using something without USB capability, Ethernet and multi-core processing.