16 bit is equal to 2 bytes and 4 nibbles but this is not the case. 16-bit is generally used to define some hardware of software which is capable of working with the 16-bit processor, memory, software, etc. In the 1980s and 1990s, the IT systems were 16bit from the hardware and software but with the development of 32 and 64-bit hardware and software, they are obsolete.
16位等于2个字节和4个半字节，但事实并非如此。 16位通常用于定义一些能够与16位处理器，内存，软件等配合使用的软件硬件。在1980年代和1990年代，IT系统从硬件和软件中发展为16位，但是随着在32位和64位硬件和软件中，它们已过时。
16位硬件 (16 Bit Hardware)
With the development of the IBM PC, Intel processors have gained popularity. Intel CPU’s 8088 and 80286 which are used in PC’s were in 16-bit architecture. 16-bit hardware simply means the use of 16-bit memory bus and address but which is about 64KB of memory. As it may seem very little memory size but in those days applications were 16 bit too which lowers the memory requirement very low. Here are some 16-bit hardware like CPU, PCs
随着IBM PC的发展，Intel处理器得到了普及。 PC中使用的Intel CPU 8088和80286是16位体系结构。 16位硬件只是意味着使用16位内存总线和地址，但大约需要64KB的内存。 由于看起来似乎很小的内存大小，但在那时，应用程序也为16位，这降低了内存需求。 这是一些16位硬件，例如CPU，PC
- System/7 系统/ 7
- Series/1 系列/ 1
- Intel 8086 and 8088 英特尔8086和8088
- Intel 80186 and 80188 英特尔80186和80188
- Intel 80286 英特尔80286
- Zilog Z8000 Zilog Z8000
16位操作系统 (16 Bit Operating System)
We have learned the 16-bit hardware but if we want to use 16-bit hardware we need some operating system which is also 16 bit. We can not use the 32-bit operating system on 16-bit hardware. IBM PC compatible and Wintel which means Windows+Intel operating system is designed to be 16 bit. Ms-DOS, OS/2 1.x or early versions of Microsoft Windows can run on 16-bit CPU and hardware like Intel 8088 and 80286.
我们已经了解了16位硬件，但是如果要使用16位硬件，则需要一些也是16位的操作系统。 我们不能在16位硬件上使用32位操作系统。 兼容IBM PC和Wintel，这意味着Windows + Intel操作系统被设计为16位。 Ms-DOS，OS / 2 1.x或早期版本的Microsoft Windows可以在16位CPU和诸如Intel 8088和80286之类的硬件上运行。
16位软件 (16 Bit Software)
16 bit operating systems provides 16-bit applications like games, tools, Scandisk, etc. But Windows 95 is a 32-bit operating system which provides 16-bit applications for backward compatibility. Here are some of the 16bit applications provided with the 32 bit Windows 95.
16位操作系统提供了16位应用程序，例如游戏，工具，磁盘扫描程序等。但是Windows 95是32位操作系统，提供了16位应用程序以实现向后兼容。 这是32位Windows 95附带的一些16位应用程序。
- FreeCell 空当接龙
- Solitaire纸牌
- Chat聊天室
- Clipboard剪贴板
- Dialer拨号器
- ScanDisk磁盘扫描
- Program Manager项目经理
翻译自: https://www.poftut.com/what-is-16-bit-hardware-and-software/