From: "William H. Oldacre" <76114.2307@CompuServe.COM>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 93 18:49:16 PDT
To: <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: 8088/PGP failures.
Message-ID: <930613014638_76114.2307_BHA60-1@CompuServe.COM>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>I don't know where you've been, but version 2.2 has a notorious bug
>that locks up the box under numerous situations.  In my experience,
>version 2.2 locks up 8088-based computers.  Version 2.1 does not.

>I was not aware that people still used that version of a computer.
>An 8088????

>Don't be so arrogant.

>Additionally, when one is running PGP under Windows the "virtual DOS 
>machine" on which it is running *is* an 8088 (of sorts) and PGP 2.2 will
>lock it up 2/3 of the time.

>PGP 2.2 runs without a hitch on at least one 10 MHz+ XT box in which 
>the 8088 was replaced with an NEC V-20 and an 8087 co-processor added 
>when new... about six years ago.

>I don't doubt it for a second, but I know it definitely will lock up a
>real 8088.  Also there is a problem with DesqView in some cases.

I live in Central Florida which experiences more lightning discharges 
than almost anywhere else in the country (excepting certain mountain 
tops).  We are now entering our most violent season.  Yesterday, a 
semi-trailer was struck on I-75 at a Gainesville exit and had both 
front tires blown out and his front window shattered.  In Florida, 
you are roughly thirteen times more likely to be killed by lightning 
than win any single entry in the Florida lottery (lottery odds: 13.9 
million to one).  My home has been directly struck by lightning and 
suffered heavy damage.

This may help to explain to those who authored the sentences above 
why I still employ an 8 MHz, 8088 based, Sanyo MBC-775 computer as 
my primary communications computer (no hard drive).  Not counting the 
disfunctional Honeywell mainframe in the garage, I have over a dozen 
computers.  Why risk a more expensive (and failure prone) system when 
it's sophistication is not necessary?

PGP 2.2 works perfectly on my unit.  I suggest that the lockup 
problem may be more related to the many different approaches to 
writing an IBM compatible ROM BIOS, rather than to the processor 
used.