Bizarre AliExpress laptop computer with Intel 8088 CPU will take you again to the MS-DOS period [Updated]

All fashionable Intel and AMD PCs can hint their roots to a single system: the IBM Private Pc. Initially launched in August 1981, this pc grew to become so standard and long-lived that rivals reverse-engineered its BIOS in order that their computer systems might use the identical software program and peripherals, a apply that ultimately resulted in a de facto customary whose descendants we nonetheless use at the moment.

If you wish to expertise what utilizing an outdated IBM PC was like, you may drop a number of hundred {dollars} on a used one on eBay. Or you may roll the cube on this new oddball laptop computer on AliExpress. The “Book 8088” laptop computer PC combines fashionable parts with an Intel 8088 processor and 640KB (sure, that is kilobytes) of reminiscence. Just a few extra fashionable facilities make it nicer to make use of than a 40-year-old desktop, like a 640×200 16-color LCD display screen, and built-in interfaces that permit USB equipment and CompactFlash playing cards to interface with the traditional parts (a 512MB CompactFlash card serves because the system’s onerous drive).

Intel’s 8088 was a cut-down model of the unique 8086 with an 8-bit information bus; within the E-book 8088 and the IBM PC, it runs at a clock pace of 4.77 MHz. That gradual pace and low reminiscence restrict means it is best suited to MS-DOS, with its text-based interface and normal lack of multitasking assist. You can run very early Home windows variations on it, as much as version 3.0 however, according to retro-tech YouTube, it looks as if a foul time.

There are a number of equipment meant to increase the E-book 8088’s capabilities; there’s an open socket for an Intel 8087 floating-point coprocessor, a Sound Blaster-compatible sound card accessory from Yamaha, and an external dongle with three slots for ISA enlargement playing cards.

There are causes to be skeptical of the E-book 8088, and a little bit of digging has turned up little or no on no matter firm is making these items. The photographs are attributed to Xinrui Expertise, a Hong Kong-based producer that largely appears to make low cost PC equipment and AV tools however whose (very outdated) site would not point out the E-book 8088. A visual boot display screen in one of many photographs pointed us to 8086cpu.com, which lists the E-book 8088 and different retro PC tasks, however no data not already supplied within the AliExpress itemizing. The identical firm seems accountable for the sold-out “Hand386” retro pc, a handheld system with a way more succesful Intel 386 SX inside.

The AliExpress vendor, DZT, largely appears to promote small CNC machines and has 90 p.c optimistic suggestions, so it appears doubtless that you’re going to at the least get somefactor in a field in case you order considered one of these.

Whoever is making these laptops is not making a lot of them; the essential $200 model with no equipment is offered out, as is the model with an included 8087 coprocessor. As of this writing, there are nonetheless round 80 of those with a sound card preinstalled, accessible for $221. There are round 20 of the $241 model with the sound card and an exterior ISA enlargement dongle.

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Clearly, you needn’t purchase a laptop computer with an 8088 to expertise what life was like within the MS-DOS days. Websites like PCjs Machines will emulate the unique IBM PC straight in a browser window, full with period-appropriate software program. Most individuals can hearth considered one of these emulators up for half an hour and study all they should about retrocomputing (largely, it was gradual). However for die-hards who demand a bare-metal {hardware} expertise, this may very well be a neat solution to get the performance of the IBM PC in a package deal that takes up significantly much less house.

Replace, 5/20/2023: After this story was printed, Ars was contacted by developer Sergey Kiselev, who maintains an open-source 8088 BIOS on GitHub. He alleged that the creators of the E-book 8088 re-used his BIOS for the system whereas eradicating his title and language in regards to the GPL v2 license that the BIOS is distributed below; we won’t verify the declare by evaluating the code straight, however there are a number of distinct similarities in a screenshot Kiselev shared and one used within the E-book 8088 retail itemizing.

“Whereas my work is open supply, and I do not thoughts folks utilizing it of their tasks, I do care deeply in regards to the ideas of open supply software program improvement and licensing. And whoever producers this machine, bluntly violates copyright legislation and licensing,” wrote Kiselev to Ars detailing his declare. “Because you begin your article with the dialogue of how Compaq reverse engineered IBM’s BIOS, I feel it might be appropriate to say that the producer pirated the BIOS, with out crediting the work, and so they violate GPL by not releasing the supply code of their modified BIOS.”

Itemizing picture by Xinrui Expertise