> Windows XP is not real Non-NT-based versions of Windows can be booted in real mode, which is the opposite of what Windows used to call 386 enhanced mode. In real mode, programs actually run in your computer's real memory space, instead of having virtual memory spaces (or "virtual machines" as Java programmers like to call them) allocated for them. While virtual mode, protected mode, or whatever you want to call it is useful for everyday multitasking, it's simply absurd to create a commercial operating system that doesn't allow software to directly interface with hardware. Try changing your interrupt vectors or PIT timing in Windows XP. Simple tasks like these, which could be easily done in real mode, become impossible with Windows XP. [0]
In this article:
> Protected mode is a kludge to prevent people from hurting themselves when they don't know what their software is doing.
It seems the author doesn't have a firm grasp of what are real and protected modes and even what an operating system does.
[0] http://webarchive.me/geocities/SiliconValley/2072/whyxpbad.h...