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AX architecture

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AX(Architecture eXtended) was a Japanese computing initiative starting in around 1986 to allow PCs to handledouble-byte(DBCS)Japanese textvia special hardware chips, whilst allowing compatibility with software written for foreignIBM PCs.

History

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The idea was conceived byKazuhiko Nishibefore he resigned his position as vice president ofMicrosoft.[1]Microsoft Japantook over the project, and in July 1987 the Preparatory Committee of the AX Consortium started developing its specification.

The AX Consortium officially started in October 1987, includingASCII Corporation,Sony,Hitachi,Sharp,Oki,Casio,Canon,Kyocera,Sanyo,Mitsubishi Electric,etc., but notably excludingToshibaandFujitsu(who were hence the 'opposition').[1][2]

At that time,NECPC-9801was the dominant PC architecture in the Japanese PC market becauseIBM PC/ATand its clone PCs could not display Japanese text.[3]However, NEC did not tolerate PC-9801 compatible machines and was fighting court battles withEpsonwhich was the only PC-9801 compatible machine vendor. Therefore, other vendors desperately needed a standard specification for Japanese capable PCs.

Eventually two standards were developed:JEGAandAX-VGA.

Due to less available software and its higher cost compared to the PC-9801 series, AX failed and was not able to break into the market in Japan. The Nikkei Personal Computing journal reported in 1989 that only 18 out of 36,165 PCs used in 937 companies were AX machines, and 90% of companies had no plan to purchase the AX machine.[4]

In 1990, IBM Japan unveiledDOS/Vwhich enabled IBM PC/AT and its clones to display Japanese text without any additional hardware using a standard VGA card.[5]Soon after, AX disappeared and the decline of NEC PC-9801 began.[6]

AX architecture machines

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Several companies released AX computers:

JEGA

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JEGA
Release date1987;37 years ago(1987)
Designed byASCII, Chips & Technologies
ArchitectureP82C435 and V6367
History
PredecessorEGA

To displayKanjicharacters with sufficient clarity, AX machines hadJEGA[ja]screens with a resolution of640 × 480rather than the640 × 350standardEGAresolution prevalent elsewhere at the time.[7][8][9]JEGA was developed jointly byASCIIandChips & Technologies,combining the P82C435 and V6367 video chips.[10]Users could typically switch between Japanese and English modes by typingJPandUS,which would also invoke the AX-BIOSand anIMEenabling the input of Japanese characters.

In addition to the modes provided by EGA, JEGA supports the following display modes as standard:

  • 80 × 25character text display,effective resolution640 × 480pixels, 8 pages: overwrites modes 2h (graphic screen and overlaid display) and 3h of EGA;
  • 640 × 480pixels graphics:1 page or 1 page overlaid with text screen.

AX-VGA

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IBM released theVGAstandard soon after AX was introduced. Since the AX architecture was not compatible with the new standard, the AX consortium had to design a VGA compatible chipset.

This was calledAX-VGA[ja]and could be implemented in two ways:

  • AX-VGA/H,a hardware implementation based on the AX-BIOS;
  • AX-VGA/S,a software emulation.[11]

Development of the AX-VGA chipset was delayed, and its first implementation came out in 1991.[12][13][14]By that time,DOS/Vwas already available, allowing standard IBM PC compatibles to display Japanese text using a VGA card.[5]The need for AX was gone and further developments were discontinued.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abコンピュータ・ニュース xã, ed. (1988). "“パソコン sản nghiệp sử” niên biểu ".100 vạn người の mê を giải く ザ・PC の hệ phổ(in Japanese). コンピュータ・ニュース xã. pp. 40–57.ISBN4-8061-0316-0.
  2. ^Methe; Miyabe; Toyama; Mitchell (January 1998).Methe, David & Miyabe, J. & Toyama, R. & Mitchell, Will. (1998). Overcoming a Standard Bearer: Challenges to NEC's Personal Computer in Japan.Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
  3. ^Schilke, Steffen (1992).Japanization(PDF).p. 140.
  4. ^Tùng cương, tư minh; trung xuyên, quý hùng; 礒 điền, ôn chi; tây thôn, dụ (1989-04-10). "Điều tra: パソコン・シェア xí nghiệp はPS/55, gia đình はPC-9800".Ngày kinh パソコン(in Japanese).Nikkei Business Publications:280–281.ISSN0287-9506.
  5. ^abWest; Dedrick (November 30, 1996).Competing through Standards: DOS/V and Japan's PC Market(PDF).Center for Research on Information Technologies and Organizations, University of California, Irvine.
  6. ^abWest, Joel; Dedrick, Jason (2000)."Innovation and Control in Standards Architectures: The Rise and Fall of Japan's PC-98".Information Systems Research.11(2): 197–216.doi:10.1287/isre.11.2.197.11778.ISSN1047-7047.JSTOR23015882.
  7. ^Auckerman (February 1996)."Overcoming the Obstacles to Business Success in Japan".Computing Japan Magazine.
  8. ^"Insider's Computer Dictionary: JEGA とは? - ＠IT".atmarkit.itmedia.co.jp.Retrieved2023-02-28.
  9. ^Sandy."Video/Japanese Display Adapter For High Quality Japanese Fonts".PS/55, Japanese PS/2.Retrieved2023-02-28.
  10. ^"ASCII EXPRESS: IBM PC/AT compatible unified Japanese standard" AX "solidifies. It will be released by each company next spring”.ASCII1987.10.
  11. ^Krusher (2018-09-04)."Graphics cards of the IBM era".Nobody comes after the last.Retrieved2023-02-28.
  12. ^"Tân chế phẩm ニュース HARD".Sự vụ と kinh 営(in Japanese).43(542): 90. July 1991 – viaNational Diet LibraryDigital Collections.
  13. ^CBR Staff Writer (June 3, 1991)."HITACHI DELAY IN AX SPEC PC DELIVERY".Tech Monitor.
  14. ^"FLORA 3020/3010 Series".Information Processing Society of Japan Computer Museum.Retrieved2023-02-28.

Further reading

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