Inside the Intel 8088 processor’s bus interface state machine @kenshirriff
In 1979, Intel introduced the 8088 microprocessor, a variant of the 16-bit 8086 processor. IBM’s decision to use the 8088 processor in the IBM PC (1981) was a critical point in computer history, leading to the success of the x86 architecture.
The designers of the IBM PC selected the 8088 for multiple reasons, but a key factor was that the 8088 processors’ 8-bit bus was similar to the bus of the 8085 processor. The designers were familiar with the 8085 since they had selected it for the IBM System/23 Datamaster, a now-forgotten desktop computer, making the more-powerful 8088 processor an easy choice for the IBM PC.
Ken Shirriff takes a deep dive into the 8088 leading to documenting the processor bus interface state machine which synchronizes all that happens within the chip.
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