Re: Future //

[Roy and/or Janet Miller <millers@inetnebr.com>]

Phoenyx wrote:

> Perfect, that's exactly what I wanted to hear.
>
> As for multitasking, Linux does just fine and it's primarily software
> based. In fact, it's the only decent 32 bit multitasking OS on the PC
> for personal use. At least the only one the common user can afford.

Have you, by any chance, spent time with GEOS on the PC? It could multitask
on the 8088 (given enough memory, and slowly, but then, Windows didn't do
that well on a 286) The latest version of GEOS has IRC, email, and a
graphical web browser, and requires only a 286 to work (though more is
better of course), in fact last week a new Web machine was released using a
486 as it's CPU, which would be very slow, except it isn't running M$
bloatware, but rather GEOS.

BTW, my friend, Bill Malcom, is still laying out his multifunction turbo
card (depending on real estate limitations, it will have IDE, ethernet, a
single 72 pin simm socket, either a socket for your old 65816, or have one
of the new smaller 65816s, as well as the new cpu.) Due to certain
limitations, his first version will use a 68040 (so he can program with his
old Mac), then upgrade to, if available, a 68060. Once he has the hardware
bugs worked out, he plans to move to the PPC chip; he would like to work
with Motorola (he's asked for info on the 68060 from them) but they seem to
be slow to respond, so I've suggested he contact IBM (let's see if they are
any faster.)

What I like about his idea, assuming he can pull it off, is that you are
still working with a true Apple II by Apple, but your CPU is emulated in
software on a PowerPC. (Hmm, that means that it might be possible to emulate
the mythical 65832, or even a 65032 - no 8 bit date bus.)  That would mean,
then, that you could port PPC Linux to the Turbo II, avoiding the Toolbox,
if desired, but wow, that would take a community effort I would think.
Anyone up for the job?

Roy

> Plus
> it's reasonably easy to port as long as their is a good C compiler.
>
> --
>
> Thank you for your time and interest. I hope it was helpful
> or at least interesting.
>
> Phoenyx,
>
> Apple2 user since March 1984
>
> Links to Phoenyx's pages:
> preferred..... http://zip.to/Phoenyx_A2
> alternate..... http://www.tinyangeldesigns.com/Apple2