Re: What if we designed and built a "32bit" Apple II?

["Jayson Smith" <nospamratguyspambegone@nospamplease.bellsouth.ihatespam.net>]

Hey, I just have one request.  You can put in all your fancy
5.25/3.5/cdr/cdrw/dvd/dvdrw/zip/jazz/qic/dat/optical drives, but put in a
cassette interface!  I think that'd be too cool, on what is supposed to be a
modern computer!
Jayson.

"Ranando King" <rk@magictouchcorp.com> wrote in message
news:413e16fd$1_2@news.vic.com...
> Sure, in todays' market, it'd be little more than a novelty for collectors
> to play with, having no intrinsic historical value whatsoever, but
wouldn't
> it be cool to see if we can do what many of us wish Apple Computers had
done
> instead of making the Lisa and Mac?
>
> BEGIN: [*Rant and Reason*]
>
> Apple Computers basically tried to squeeze the life out of the II series
to
> support it's new "better thing" computers, neither of which was anything
> like what people had come to expect from the Apple brand name. Instead of
> investing the capital from the II series sales into something compatible
> with the II series, they shut down production, then sales, then support
for
> the line altogether, nearly killing the company just to push Macs on
people.
> Even the more flexible, albeit slower, IIgs was under-supported and
> under-advertised when it arrived.
>
> I'd really like to see what would have come (hardware-wise) of Apple
> commissioning the design of the WD65SC832(not quite sure about that
number)
> which was supposed to be a 32bit 6502 compatible chip. But since HELL is
> likely to freeze over, thaw out, and freeze again before Apple will do any
> such thing.....
>
> END: [*Rant and Reason*]
>
> In truth, the only reason I switched to PC's was because at the time,
Mac's
> didn't come with any programming tools. It was all sewn up like the
> proverbial black box with no user serviceable parts. At least PC's came
with
> basic. But I still long for the days of old when I could sit down over the
> course of a few days and churn out software to make my computer flash and
> tweet in ways I'd never seen before. I just don't get that from modern
> programming anymore.
>
> I know..... "Go buy an Apple II off eBay." Did that. Got it. Love it. WANT
> MORE POWER!!!
> ..."Use an emulator and turn off the speed limiting." Done that too. Very
> fun but not the same as what I crave.
>
> I really just want to build a 32bit machine, compatible with the II series
> hardware, and somehow manage to maintain the level of simplicity of the
> hardware and software programming interfaces.  I'd just love it if I could
> turn on a 32bit box with no special cards, no drives, and only a monitor
and
> keyboard, and be greeted by a BASIC prompt instead of the irritating "No
> Operating System\nInsert boot disk and press any key."
>
> So is this just a pipe dream?
>
> R. King
>
>