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16-bit application

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16-bit application

(operating system)
Software for MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows which originally ran on the 16-bit Intel 8088 and 80286 microprocessors. These used a segmented address space to extend the range of addresses from what is possible with just a 16-bit address. Programs with more than 64 kilobytes of code or data therefore had to waste time switching between segments. Furthermore, programming with segments is more involved than programming in a flat address space, giving rise to warts like memory models in C and C++.

Compare 32-bit application.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
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References in periodicals archive
Through clever programming,Windows 95spans both 32-bit and 16-bit applications. One of its innovations--which initially puzzles users--is the Start menu.
The LPC1100 will target battery applications, e-metering, consumer peripherals, remote sensors, and virtually all 16-bit applications.
The 16-bit external addressing makes these microcontrollers ideal for use in 16-bit applications that require higher performance at the price of a standard 16-bit microcontroller.
File-Ex also adds long filename support to 16-bit applications, so those legacy programs will be even more useful.
The LAN91C110 complements SMSC's Fast Ethernet MACs and PHYs and targets various 16-bit applications. "With this new device, designers have the opportunity to bring Fast Ethernet to the 16-bit environment," said Robert Hollingsworth, Standard Microsystems' vice president of marketing.
The program effectively finds problems with both Windows 95 32-bit and Windows 3.x 16-bit applications. Through its hardware troubleshooter, it detected a problem with a scanner's configuration that had plagued this writer for months.
Testers note that the OS has problems running some 16-bit applications and consumes a hefty 60 megabytes of disk space.
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