[OpenBIOS] Why protected mode?

[(Kevin P Lawton)]

> But they had to.  The 286 is a 16-bit processor.  Without segmented memory,
> you would be limited to 64k of memory...  Leaving protected mode out of it,
> the rest of the 286 was merely an evolution of the 80186:  a change from a
> 20-bit memory bus to a 24-bit.  That's the only real change.  Of course,
> there *is* protected mode...

It didn't have to be a 16bit processor, if they went
to a new architecture.  They could have made it 64
if they wanted to.  You don't need segmented memory
to access > 64k if your architecture is 32 or 64bit.


Should have dropped real mode, had the CPU start
out in protected mode, and today we'd all have
protected mode only BIOSs.  Oh well, such is life.


-Kevin
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