> Also it's the year ~1980 and we're limited to the technology of the age.
Tbf the Motorola 68000 which was released around the same time (1979) had a proper linear address space with 32-bit address registers (of which 24 bits were wired up).
Also the 8086 was intended as a cheap and temporary stop gap until Intel's "proper" 32-bit CPU architecture was ready for prime time (the doomed iAPX 432).
Tbf the Motorola 68000 which was released around the same time (1979) had a proper linear address space with 32-bit address registers (of which 24 bits were wired up).
Also the 8086 was intended as a cheap and temporary stop gap until Intel's "proper" 32-bit CPU architecture was ready for prime time (the doomed iAPX 432).