From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_40,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,d2fe923345e67606 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Roy Grimm Subject: Re: Byte sex confusion Date: 1997/05/09 Message-ID: <33733A59.41C6@cca.rockwell.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 240551093 References: <33716475.43A9@top.monad.net> <01bc5bfd$78858100$LocalHost@xhv46.dial.pipex.com> Organization: Rockwell Collins, Inc. Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1997-05-09T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Nick Roberts wrote: > Incidentally, for those readers wondering, the 'sex' in the subject line > refers (I assume, anyway) to the old Intel "sign exchange" instruction, > which they were going to call SEX, but got cold feet just before > publication (and called it CBW/CWD instead - not the same!) The first machine I know of that had reference to a "SEX" instruction was the PDP-11. The engineers tried to slip the instruction through but marketing nixed it at the last minute. The Intel 8086 came out with a "sign extend" instruction but the marketers made them use CBW (convert byte to word) and CWDE (convert word to double word). Amusingly, the Intel 8048 (used as a keyboard controller) does not have a SEX instruction but it does have ORL (logical or) and ANL (logical and). The Motorola 6809 actually has a SEX instruction. (I forget exactly what it is a mnemonic for) The processor went into some computer sold in the UK. The competitor in the states was the Apple II, and its processor didn't have the SEX instruction. There was some implied joke that had to do with the name of the UK system and not being able to have sex with an apple but the real context excapes me... -- Voicing my own opinion, not speaking as a company representative... Roy A. Grimm Rockwell Collins Avionics Cedar Rapids, Iowa ragrimm@cca.rockwell.com