Re: TI-88 Memory Message #8 Posted by Joerg Woerner on 4 May 2012, 7:26 p.m., in response to message #7 by db (martinez, ca.)
Dennis,
Difficult question - probably kind of a combination.
The RAM's used in the TI-59 date back to 1976 and stored 1920 bits (not Bytes, not Kilo, Mega or Giga), each. The TI-88 uses technology from 1981 and the chips hold roughly 5000 bits. Not too much according to Moore's Law.
We don't know too much about the CPU but it was a 4-bit design very similiar to the TI-55-II and with "just calculators" in mind, you don't provide mechanisms for huge address ranges.
I assume that for a keystroke programmable calculator 3,000 steps seemed to look enough. Don't forget that they worked in parallel on the CC-40 with 2k RAM expandable to 18k RAM (*). Maybe marketing wanted even some kind of line between the two products.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Joerg
(*) Yes... "the" CC-40 had more memory. But I received a few months ago the "original CC-40" and it had just 2k RAM (and a major design flaw, but that's another story).
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