[rasz]

> a lot of industry-specific applications demand the (emulated) physical presence of an FPU

Can you name some? I cant come up with any real world uses of FPU implemented PC for industrial use. Even MISTER is pushing it considering availability of emulation.

[spankibalt]

What I've personally seen that needed an FPU: a water analysis package for a "field laboratory" (its centerpiece being a luggable PC), several in-house applications of an insurance company (which my mentor, a mathematician, coded), as well as a bespoke, modular sasec (safety and security) suite for facility management. I'm slowly building a reference list of DOS- and UNIX-based industry software, as I have an interest in that stuff. Can't help with any names. Yet.

So much for needed. Packages that run without, but are only fully useful with an FPU, were relatively common.

[rasz]

Sorry, I meant FPGA implemented PC.