Microcomputer Systems The 8086 8088 Family — Y C Liu And G A Gibson

This report evaluates the book’s scope, pedagogical strengths, technical accuracy, and historical significance as a foundational text for understanding Intel’s 8086/8088 microprocessor family. When the book was written, the Intel 8086 (1978) and 8088 (1979) were transforming personal computing. The IBM PC (1981) used the 8088, making these processors the industry standard. Most existing texts focused on 8-bit CPUs like the 8080 or Z80. Liu and Gibson provided one of the first comprehensive, university-level treatments of the 16-bit architecture while retaining backward compatibility with 8-bit components. 3. Book Structure and Content Overview The book is divided into three logical parts:

1. Introduction Title: Microcomputer Systems: The 8086/8088 Family – Architecture, Programming, and System Design Authors: Yu-Cheng Liu and Glenn A. Gibson Publication Era: First published in the mid-1980s (c. 1984–1986) Target Audience: Undergraduate students in computer engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science; practicing engineers transitioning from 8-bit to 16-bit microprocessors. Most existing texts focused on 8-bit CPUs like