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16/32-bit Personal Computer Families
(those with existed only in Japan, the others in several countries)
=== without claim of completeness ===

= without 8-bit-systems and without typical UNIX sytems, and nevertheless nearly all of them incompatible with one another =
PC family  CPU familymanufacturer (BIOS-Typ) operating system remark
IBM-compatibles Intel x86IBM and others (PC-XT),
IBM and others (PC-AT, from 1984)		 DOS for IBM PC,
DOS/Windows for AT		 1981 - now (many manufacturers)
Toshiba Pasopia16 Intel x86Toshiba (Pasopia16 BIOS) T-BASIC16, DOS for Pasopia16 1982 - 1985 (Toshiba)
NEC PC9800 Intel x86NEC (PC-9800 BIOS),
Epson (PC286, PC386)		 BASIC88, DOS/Windows for PC98 1982 - 1997 (NEC),
1987 - 1994 (Epson)
Hitachi B16/B32 Intel x86Hitachi (B16/B32 BIOS) DOS/Windows for B16/B32 1983 - 1991 (Hitachi)
Oki if800 Intel x86Oki (if800 BIOS, from if800/50) DOS for if800 1983 - 1990 (Oki)
Sinclair QL
  1. multitasking PC		 Motorola
68000		Sinclair (QL BIOS),
D&D Systems (SMSQ/E BIOS)		 QDOS+SuperBASIC, Minerva,
SMSQ/E		 1984 - 1986 (Sinclair),
1999 - now (D&D Systems)
Apple Mac
  1. PC with mouse		 Motorola
68000		 Apple (Classic Mac BIOS) Mac-OS (from 1986 with KanjiTalk) 1984 - now (only Apple)
PowerPCApple (PowerMac, from 1994)Mac-OS / PowerPC
Intel x86Apple (Intel-Mac, from 2006)Mac-OS / Intel x86
Siemens PC-D Intel x86Siemens (PC-D BIOS) DOS for PCD 1984 - 1985 (Siemens)
Fujitsu FM16β Intel x86Fujitsu (FM16β BIOS) DOS for FM16β 1984 - 1986 (Fujitsu)
Atari ST Motorola
68000		Atari (Atari ST series) TOS/GEM 1985 - 1993 (Atari BIOS)
Commodore Amiga Motorola
68000		Commodore (Amiga BIOS) Amiga-OS 1985 - 1994 (Commodore)
Toshiba J3100 Intel x86Toshiba (PC-XT BIOS + Extra) DOS/Windows for J3100 1986 - 1991 (Toshiba)
Sharp X68000 Motorola
68000		Sharp (X68000 BIOS) XBASIC, Human68K/SX-Window 1986 - 1995 (Sharp)
IBM PS/55 Intel x86IBM Japan (PC-AT BIOS + Extra) DOS/Windows for PS/55 1987 - 1994 (IBM Japan)
Fujitsu FM-R Intel x86Fujitsu (FM-R BIOS) DOS/Windows for FM-R 1987 - 1993 (Fujitsu)
AX-compatibles Intel x86IBM and others (PC-AT + JEGA) DOS/Windows for AX 1988 - 1993 (many manufacturers)
Fujitsu FM-Towns
  1. PC with CDROM		 Intel x86Fujitsu (FM-Towns BIOS) Towns-OS/Windows for Towns 1989 - 1997 (Fujitsu)
DOS/V-compatibles Intel x86IBM and others (PC-AT) DOS/V & Jap. Windows for AT 1991 - now (many manufacturers)

If you should wonder about the many Japanese flags: yes, more than half of all PC families existed only in Japan.
And if you think "whereever DOS and/or Windows is running, there is IBM compatibility", I recommend to you to read PC compatibility.

I suppose that the people at Microsoft were very happy in the end of 1997, when the two last Japanese Windows computer families were abandoned (NEC PC-9800 and Fujitsu FM-Towns) by their manufacturers, and the permanently required specific adaptations of all Windows-versions to those far-east computer families became obsolete - since then there exists only one Windows variant, the one for the IBM-compatible computers.

Hints to the expressions KiB, MiB, PC and compatible


DISCLAIMER: All informations are given according to my best knowledge, but without guarantee.
This is a non-commercial fan website

Language:   deutsch English Esperanto,   to the Virtual Computer Museum
© 2005-2006 by Elmar Dünßer [Duensser], Germany