Re: Commodore and Apple

[HansO <msxhans@yahoo.com>]

Curtis F Kaylor <curtis@example.com> wrote:
>
>The Altair also had slots.  Actually it had a backplane and the 
>motherboard was just one of the boards. Another innovation that the 
>microcomputer world eventually rediscovered.
>
>- Curtis P

I would not consider the Altair S100 bus to be just slots, but more the concept
of the backplane as known in the minicomputer world like the DEC Unibus or Qbus.
It is more powerfull since it allows replacement of the CPU and any peripheral.
Within the limits of the bus a lot of freedom is available to configure an
optimal system for the job. 
The slots as they are implemented in the Apple ][ are quite an innovation!
Especially the support for slot independance and ROM support: most cards can be
inserted in any slot without jumpers or other configuration and are plug and
play. 
The intelligent peripherals of Commodore are also a a smart idea: the IEC bus is
a bit slow but serial communications with smart devices is a modern concept
again as seen in USB, firewire and  SATA. Instead of a system limited bus, slot
or expansion connector a much more intelligent way to commuinicate with
peripherals.
Hans: http://www.hansotten.com