From: arne@vajhoej.dk   
      
   On 10/4/2025 10:14 PM, Dan Cross wrote:   
   > In article <68dfc38f$0$673$14726298@news.sunsite.dk>,   
   > Arne Vajhøj   wrote:   
   >> On 10/3/2025 8:12 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:   
   >>> On 2025-10-02, Dan Cross  wrote:   
   >>>> In article ,   
   >>>> David Goodwin   wrote:   
   >>>>> Set top boxes and routers were not the target market for Windows in the   
   >>>>> 90s, and they are clearly not a market Microsoft is interested in   
   >>>>> pursuing today.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Moreover, 99.9% of those MIPS CPUs that are outselling x86 are   
   >>>> embedded microcontrollers that just happen to use the MIPS   
   >>>> instruction set.  If they run any OS at all, it's way more than   
   >>>> likely to be some kind of RTOS.   
   >>>   
   >>> Here is one example at the lower end (which is also available in hobbyist   
   >>> friendly packaging):   
   >>>   
   >>> https://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic32mx250f128b-i-sp/mcu-32   
   it-pic32-40mhz-spdip-28/dp/2097773   
   >>   
   >> I think this part of the spec illustrate the target market:   
   >>   
   >>    
   >> MIPS32® M4K® core with MIPS16e® mode for up to 40% smaller code size   
   >>    
   >>   
   >> Switching to 16 bit mode to reduce application size is not where   
   >> Microsoft is with Windows today.   
   >   
   > a) MSFT isn't running Windows on that core, but Linux isn't   
   > running on it, either.   
   >   
   > b) MIPS16e is to MIPS 32 as Thumb or Thumb-2 is to ARM, or as   
   > the RISC-V compressed ISA is to RISC-V.   
   >   
   > c) Windows on ARM does use Thumb-2:   
   > https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20210531-00/?p=105265   
      
   So MIPS16e is not 16 bit in traditional sense (16 bit registers,   
   16 bit address space etc.) but just shorter instructions (16 bit)?   
      
   Arne   
      
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