Decimal V Binary??

[Doc Shipley]

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