The problem is the 8086 has a nonmaskable interrupt that uses the stack, and software can’t stop it. Failure analysis back the 1970s and 1980s was fun. An optical microscope would do most of it.

The release of Intel’s 8086 microprocessor in 1978 was a watershed moment for personal computing. The DNA of that chip is likely at the center of whatever computer—Windows, Mac, or Linux—you ...

Initially, the 8086 was intended to be a stopgap product while Intel worked feverishly to finish its real next-generation microprocessor -- the iAPX 432, Intel's first 32-bit microprocessor.

To mark the 40-year anniversary of the Intel 8086 that powered the first IBM PC, Intel has announced the Intel Core i7-8086K Limited Edition processor, its first CPU that can hit 5GHz in turbo mode.