Lab#01

Objective:
Introduction to number system conversion and EMU 8086 software.

Number systems:
Number systems are the technique to represent numbers in the computer system architecture,
every value that you are saving or getting into/from computer memory has a defined number
system.

Computer architecture supports following number systems:

1) Binary number system

2) Octal number system

3) Decimal number system

4) Hexadecimal (hex) number system

1) Binary Number System

A Binary number system has only two digits that are 0 and 1. Every number (value) represents
with 0 and 1 in this number system. The base of binary number system is 2, because it has only
two digits.

2) Octal number system

Octal number system has only eight (8) digits from 0 to 7. Every number (value) represents
with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 in this number system. The base of octal number system is 8, because it
has only 8 digits.

3) Decimal number system

Decimal number system has only ten (10) digits from 0 to 9. Every number (value) represents
with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8 and 9 in this number system. The base of decimal number system is 10,
because it has only 10 digits.

4) Hexadecimal number system

 A Hexadecimal number system has sixteen (16) alphanumeric values from 0 to 9 and A to F.
Every number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E and F in this number
system. The base of hexadecimal number system is 16, because it has 16 alphanumeric values.
Here A is 10, B is 11, C is 12, D is 13, E is 14 and F is 15.

Examples:
1)Decimal to Binary Conversion
Result
Decimal Number is : (12345)10

Binary Number is: (11000000111001)2

2)Decimal to Octal Conversion

Result
Decimal Number is : (12345)10

Octal Number is: (30071)8

3)Decimal to Hexadecimal Conversion

Result
Decimal Number is : (725)10

Hexadecimal Number is: (2D5)16

Convertion:
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

to its equivalent...

A, B, C, D, E, F
Emulator Software:
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the
host) to behave like another computer system (called the guest). An emulator typically enables
the host system to run software or use peripheral devices designed for the guest system.
Emulation refers to the ability of a computer program in an electronic device to emulate (or
imitate) another program or device. Many printers, for example, are designed to emulate
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers because so much software is written for HP printers. If a non-
HP printer emulates an HP printer, any software written for a real HP printer will also run in the
non-HP printer emulation and produce equivalent printing. Since at least the 1990s until today
(2010s), some video game enthusiasts use emulators to play 1980s arcade games using the
original 1980s programming code, which is interpreted by a current-era system.

A hardware emulator is an emulator which takes the form of a hardware device. Examples
include the DOS-compatible card installed in some 1990s-era Macintosh computers like the
Centris 610 or Performa 630 that allowed them to run personal computer (PC) software
programs and FPGA-based hardware emulators. In a theoretical sense, the Church-Turing thesis
implies that (under the assumption that enough memory is available) any operating environment
can be emulated within any other environment. However, in practice, it can be quite difficult,
particularly when the exact behavior of the system to be emulated is not documented and has to
be deduced through reverse engineering. It also says nothing about timing constraints; if the
emulator does not perform as quickly as the original hardware, the emulated software may run
much more slowly than it would have on the original hardware, possibly triggering timer
interrupts that alter behavior.

Benefits:
1)Potentially better graphics quality than original hardware.

2)Potentially additional features original hardware didn't have.

3)Emulators maintain the original look, feel, and behavior of the digital object, which is just as
important as the digital data itself.

4)Despite the original cost of developing an emulator, it may prove to be the more cost efficient
solution over time.

5)Reduces labor hours, because rather than continuing an ongoing task of continual data
migration for every digital object, once the library of past and present operating systems and
application software is established in an emulator, these same technologies are used for every
document using those platforms.
6)Many emulators have already been developed and released under the GNU General Public
License through the open source environment, allowing for wide scale collaboration.

7)Emulators allow software exclusive to one system to be used on another. For example, a
PlayStation 2 exclusive video game could be played on a PC using an emulator. This is
especially useful when the original system is difficult to obtain, or incompatible with modern
equipment (e.g. old video game consoles which connect via analog outputs may be unable to
connect to modern TVs which may only have digital inputs).

Obstacles:
Intellectual property - Many technology vendors implemented non-standard features during
program development in order to establish their niche in the market, while simultaneously
applying ongoing upgrades to remain competitive. While this may have advanced the
technology industry and increased vendor's market share, it has left users lost in a preservation
nightmare with little supporting documentation due to the proprietary nature of the hardware
and software.

Copyright laws are not yet in effect to address saving the documentation and specifications of
proprietary software and hardware in an emulator module.

Emulators are often used as a copyright infringement tool, since they allow users to play video
games without having to buy the console, and rarely make any attempt to prevent the use of
illegal copies. This leads to a number of legal uncertainties regarding emulation, and leads to
software being programmed to refuse to work if it can tell the host is an emulator; some video
games in particular will continue to run, but not allow the player to progress beyond some late
stage in the game, often appearing to be faulty or just extremely difficult.[12][13] These
protections make it more difficult to design emulators, since they must be accurate enough to
avoid triggering the protections, whose effects may not be obvious.

Emulators require better hardware than the original system has.

Conclusion:
In this lab we study about the number systems and its types and also learn about Emulator
software.