X86
x86 is the instruction set architecture (ISA) for the Intel 8086 and 8088 chips, 16-bit microprocessors first produced in 1978[1] The 8088 chip was used in the very first incarnation of an IBM compatible PC introduced by IBM in 1983.
The x86 instruction set achieved historic status due to a remarkable decision, made jointly by the designers of the original IBM compatible PC. They decided to maintain backward compatibility in both software and hardware, and to maintain it indefinitely, Thus, all subsequent "Intel" processor chips in the 86-styled family would always execute the original x86 instructions, and all subsequent Microsoft operating systems would execute program which ran on the original IBM compatible PC.
This decision to maintain backward compatibility of hardware and software laid the groundwork for the subsequent success of the x86 family of microprocessors, and the IBM compatible PCs which contain them.
References
- ↑ ["http://www.intel.com/museum/online/hist_micro/hof/index.htm" "Intel Museum: The Microprocessor Hall of Fame"].