Re: All this talk of a new GS...

[Jonas Bevren <jbevren@yahoo.com>]

On Mon, 24 Jan 2000, John & Anne Le Febvre wrote:

> Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 22:06:04 GMT
> From: John & Anne Le Febvre <lefebvre@klatch.demon.co.uk>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
> Subject: All this talk of a new GS...
> 
> OK, I have been reading about everyone's ideas for a new GS but read
> something lately that may hopefully spark off some new ideas.  I read
> with great interest that Transmeta are starting to produce their
> processors.  These are software instruction set based, i.e. you can
> program it to be an 80x86, a 680x0, PowerPC, ARM, whatever you like.
> From what I've read in the PC press lately, they are making it as open
> as possible and are positively encouraging people to write new
> instruction cores for it.

For more droolings over the possible cores for transmeta's chip, follow
comp.sys.c64. =)

> This is a venture with Linus Torvalds (of Linux fame) and I know IBM
> are manufacturing the chips.  The current chip is Crusoe which is a
> very low power x86 compatible.  The idea is that with very few
> transistors and software instruction set means very low power
> consumption and a battery life of days rather than hours.

Especially when run at a (very) modest 100mhz.  That would take the IIgs to
previously unheard-of speeds =)

> Anyway, take a look at www.transmeta.com and discuss!
> 
> What about a PC that can switch to native GS mode at a high clock

WOW!

> speed with one or two 8-bit Apple II slots and all the bits of a GS
> built in.  Perhaps the latest Ensoniq chipset that is backward
> compatible to the GS one, Second-sight or a newer variant, SCSI etc
> built in?  I'm sure the hardest part would be getting the custom
> chipsets for ie SWIM controllers.  Perhaps we could forgo the

I didnt think apple was too kind about letting us know about the SIWM chips
(it's not swim; it's siwm - super integrated woz machine)..  I'd love to
know some about the super ones. =)

> SuperDrive as many people can use ZIP drives as an alternative.
> 
> If we were being realistic this is what I would like to see in a new
> GS...
> 
> Primarily a new modern architecture and new OS.  Perhaps based on
> GS/OS, perhaps not.

If you have a look at http://www.clips64.de , you'll see what the c-64 and
it's 20mhz 16-meg '816 accelerator is in for.  All the author has so far is
screenshots for public view, but I've had opportunity to play with the
betas.  It's a VERY impressive OS that I'd love to see on more than just the
c-64.  It'd feel quite welcome on a //gs, considering its advanced video
system.  My programming group has been asked to port our module player to it
once complete, so I imagine CLiPS will have some good support.  Some of us
are even talking about tv-in-a-window (most likely in black/white but still
a very cool concept given the machine's age).  See below =)

> Capable of natively running GS/OS software or seamless emulation.
> SuperSerial port or GS-serial port (Appletalk)
> ADB & USB

Oh, for an ADB port on my c64.. I love these mac keyboards =) For USB, I'm
shopping about for host controllers to be used on a stock c64.  If someone
hardware-knowledged in the apple2 realm would be interested in aiding a
cross-port of the hardware so that you could have USB on your IIgs's and
IIe's,  Let me know via email.  The primary interest for USB currently is
the Happauge WinTV USB device that allows (currently) windows systems to get
tv on their desktop via USB.  We intend on using such a device to do small
video captures, possibly put video on a CLiPS desktop, and other cool fun
things.

> IDE & SCSI connector (SCSI II enough?  Or U2W?)

SCSI-II is quite fast. =) If you could use FAST scsi, you could reach
20meg/sec.  Quite enough for a //gs environment, where 8 megs ram is the
max. (am I wrong here?)  I've decided my project, at 1meg/sec, is speedy
enough for our 15.5meg max super64's, so I sit next to a prototype adaptor
equipped with the same chip that powers the vintage macs' scsi system.

> SmartPort
> Hmmm... Would we really need 8-bit slots if this lot was built-in?

Of course! You never know what one might find that would be fun to have in
the ol' apple =)

> Perhaps yet another way to approach this is a peripheral card for PC
> or Mac which has the missing ports on it.  Then an emulator could be
> written to use that card.  Whats the chances of a PCI peripheral card
> sporting ADB, Smartport, SuperSerial and perhaps an Ensoniq?

A-la the Siamese systems Amiga card for PC's.  I hear it's quick, but I also
hear of scads of compatibility problems.  However, it's more likely to see
one of these than a PC that's designed to run a vintage computer's software. 
Dont let me discourage you though!! It's possible, and I'd love to see it.

> Just my GBP 0.02  ;-)

Plus another 4 cents or so =)

> --
> John
> 

-jonas