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Re: If you could design a $300 homecomputer today, what would you choose?
- Subject: Re: If you could design a $300 homecomputer today, what would you choose?
- From: wbdesnoy@acs5.acs.ucalgary.ca (Byron Desnoyers Winmill)
- Date: 16 Jul 2001 04:32:48 GMT
- Followup-to: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,comp.sys.amstrad.8bit,comp.sys.apple2,comp.sys.atari.8bit,comp.sys.atari.advocacy,comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.cbm,comp.sys.sinclair
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy, comp.sys.amstrad.8bit, comp.sys.apple2, comp.sys.atari.8bit, comp.sys.atari.advocacy, comp.sys.atari.st, comp.sys.cbm, comp.sys.sinclair
- Organization: University of Calgary
- References: <9ikva3$ple$1@nereid.worldonline.nl> <Pine.SUN.3.96.1010713122152.26976A-100000@compass.oregonvos.net> <Pine.SUN.3.96.1010713124315.26976B-100000@compass.oregonvos.net> <rcb3lt0t5lkofiocf6i3e3bap6vfivfqpi@4ax.com> <Pine.SUN.3.96.1010715133713.1337B-100000@compass.oregonvos.net>
- Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.sys.amiga.advocacy:21765 comp.sys.amstrad.8bit:3671 comp.sys.apple2:10778 comp.sys.atari.8bit:6870 comp.sys.atari.advocacy:588 comp.sys.atari.st:14043 comp.sys.cbm:18314 comp.sys.sinclair:44936
Hardware:
- 68000, about 10MHz
- 4MB to 8MB RAM
- ROM based OS (patched in RAM)
- 2 or 4 RS-232 ports
- 2 parallel ports
- an AD convert, with 4 inputs and 2 outputs
- 8"x4" LCD screen, high resolution,
high contrast, black and white is fine
- semi-portable design (something which can
be moved while I'm working, but not something
which I work on while moving)
- 64MB to 256MB RAM with battery backup, for
storing documents. Or use flash memory if
it is cheap enough.
- HD 3.5" floppy, for communicating with my
other machines
Software:
- task switching. need not support running
background processes, but I should be able to
access other software while working
- mostly command driven, put pointer is also
available (I'm viewing this from a programming
standpoint. I don't want to waste time
learning an event driven interface, along the
lines of MacOS or Windows, for a "hobby
machine")
- a default command set which resembles the
more common unix utilities
- programming language must support graphical
output, using an easy to learn model (as most
versions of BASIC had, or PostScript)
- a machine language monitor, and an assembler
should be provided by default.
These specifications are purely from the hobbies perspective.
I believe that this is something which I could put to productive
use, yet still learn the workings of (and program) with a decent
level of competence. It should also be easier to document than
the modern batch of PCs and Macs, which everybody appears to be
drooling over.
Who cares about getting with the times. I can't figure out what
to do with a 50MHz box, let alone a 1GHz one (let alone the 350MHz
one I'm on right now).
I would expect something like this to cost between $100 and $200.
Byron.
In article <Pine.SUN.3.96.1010715133713.1337B-100000@compass.oregonvos.net> you wrote:
: On Sun, 15 Jul 2001, Beyonder wrote:
: |You people are insane.
: |for $300 you can get a high end pentium 3 system, loaded.
: Loaded with crap. What we want, is something we can actually
: use (program in 6502, and that means providing for a multiplicity
: of 6502 systems in parallel, if we have to).
: |for $100 more you can get a high end 1.4gig system, loaded.
: |and these are retail prices! that doesn't include monitor,
: |but who cares?
: Who in their right mind wants to use a PC?
: |get with the times.
: I like the olden 'daze' a lot more.