Re: To Slot or Not To Slot (was Re: Ultima 6)

[rubywand@aol.com (RUBYWAND)]

In article <MPG.ccb655ca6fabed9989683@news.ponyexpress.net>,
xyzzy@ponyexpress.net (Edward Franks) writes:

>RUBYWAND says...
>
>[Snip]
>
>>     The notion that a computer needs Slots to support major upgrades is
>> passe'. For example, Pentium 166 motherboards now sell for about the
same
>> as the top PC Video cards. Slots are necessary; but, it makes sense to
put
>> all major systems on the motherboard and just swap-in mb's every 2-4
>> years.
>> 
>
>	Shades of the original Mac!  Slots are *not* passe.  Slots allow a

>microcomputer to have an open architecture.  A micro without slots only 
>is as good as the original hardware designer.  A micro with slots can be 
>more than what the hardware designer envisioned.
>	Slots are one of the strengths of the Apple2 (or the IBM PC for 
>that matter).  Slots also allow a perfectly good micro to use technology 
>that didn't exist when the micro was designed (SCSI for example).
>	The lack of slots, that is the lack of expandability, was a major 
>strike against the Mac in the early days.  Steve Jobs _wanted_ the Mac to

>be a totally integrated micro.  Thank god the people on the Mac project 
>added some (limited) expandability to the original Mac.
>
>	Remember,
>		Slots = open architecture = good
>		No slots = closed architecture = bad
>
>

     Catchy! However, there is a big difference between "no Slots" and "no
Slots for major upgrades".

     One way to clarify things is to consider the importance of Slots on a
hot new home computer (the GromTech Spectra II)  retailing for, say,
$29.95. GromTech is able to cut costs by putting everything-- XVGA video,
XFX sound, 32MB RAM, 200MHz processor, FlexPorts, FlashFirm OS, etc.-- on
modu-boards it can punch out like cookies. You can plug all sorts of
peripherals into the FlexPorts.

     The Spectra II has no Slots. None of the peripherals you might plug
in is going to make the machine run faster, increase system RAM, or
significantly affect its display or sound. But; who cares? Next year the
Spectra III will be out (370MHz, 64MB, XVGA7video, Tetra-XFX sound ...). 
It will run most Spectra II wares and retail for $29.95.

     Today, we are somewhere between the early Apple II's and the Spectra.
Slots are desirable because machines are too expensive, too
unstandardized, and too crude to accept being stuck with no major mods for
the useful life of the machine.

     For example, building the original Mac as a closed box was silly
because, given its price, the stuff in the closed box wasn't good enough.
The same goes for the Atari ST and the first Amigas. Commodore could get
away with a closed-box C-64 chiefly because the C-64 was priced low and
priced far below the competition.

     In fact, C-64 was the first 'Spectra'. Recently, a few manufacturers
have released more-integrated, lower-cost PC's in an attempt to duplicate
the C-64 success story. The major flaw in this strategy is that no
manufacturer has the market power to dictate even one significant aspect
of 'the Standard PC'.

     To obtain useful market power in PC-ville, you must sell _lots_ of
machines. To sell lots of 'non-standard'/new-standard machines, you must
have significant market power. 

     PC continues to employ Slots for major system components because,
thanks to the low-cost clone makers, PC is locked-in to being an 'open
platform'. Consequently, video performance which should, via an
on-motherboard design, add no more than $100 to system cost, ends up
costing nearly $400 as a plug-in.

     Obviously, the IIgs needs its Slots. But, consider: How much have
Slots helped the current GS overcome its Video and Sound deficits? A new
GS would have Slots, too; but, not for _major_ system enhancements.

     Apple owns the IIgs; and,  the GS is not a PC. Apple can 'get away
with' designing a new GSX the way a modern home computer should be
designed-- putting Video, Sound, system RAM, high-speed uP, cache RAM,
FlashRAM OS and BASIC, HD interface, etc. on the motherboard.

     There would be no need to depend upon Slot cards for major system
upgrades.  Instead of worrying about plugging-in $400 video cards, $150
Sound cards, etc., every 2-3 years, Apple GSX users would just swap-in the
latest motherboard.
 

Rubywand