Decimal V Binary??

From: Doc Shipley <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
Date: Thu Sep 23 09:37:27 2004

Ed Kelleher wrote:
> At 07:40 AM 9/23/2004, you wrote:
>
>> I've always wondered what systems/processors (other than IBM mainframes)
>> that had hardware decimal arithmetic support. I don't mean 'decimal
>> adjust' instructions, I'm talking about full
>> add/subtract/multiply/divide/etc. The only other one I know of is the
>> Wang VS, which came standard with support for 'packed decimal' data, and
>> even floating-point decimal. The Wang VS instruction set was very
>> similar to the IBM 360/370, even the packed decimal data format was the
>> same.
>
>
>
> DEC PDP11/23 CPU has sockets for 2 extra chips (40 pin DIPS).
>
> One is hardware floating point. This is fairly common.
>
> The other for a CIS - Commercial Instruction Set with full set of
> decimal instructions as you list.

   The dual-height 11/03 processor allows a CIS as well. I have a
couple that have that chip. As far as I can determine, both those
machines were used to sort, analyse, and archive incoming raw data.

   Honestly, though, I don't think I've ever run a job on the /03 that
touched the CIS.


        Doc
Received on Thu Sep 23 2004 - 09:37:27 BST

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