Re: Modern A2 successor

[Michael Spangler <spangler@gorge.net>]

>     CPU's? I could be wrong, but I believe that even the most advanced 6502
> variant wouldn't be acceptable. Nor could I ever accept any radical
> departures from it. I don't know the answer to this one, but I have a vague
> idea of maybe using 2 or even 4 of the 16bit 6502 variants, and trying to
> tie them together in a smp type setup. Sure, on the high end of things, smp
> is very tough and a job for the professionals, but we would be talking
> 6502's, none the less. Surely we could handle this? Also allows you to dream
> about redoing prodos for the machine, as a primary OS. 4 simultanous  prodos
> processes, perhaps even windowed. Now that would be a hoot.
> 
> John

I've been toying with the concept of a new Apple, but from the other
end. Basic Stamps go for $100 to $150, and are dinky even by 1980
standards. I was going to get one of them, or a PIC, but considering a
complete IIe has floppy storage and more RAM, and graphics, well, pooey
to the Stamp. 

Anyway, I was thinking of a 4 Mhz 65C02, 128k of static RAM, Prodos in
ROM, revamp the 80 column display, Fix Applesoft, and put in a clock at
C020 instead of the cassete line, and Move Basic.system up into the
language card. A bunch of other changes as well to the hardware, mostly
of the rationalization type. 

It would not be software compatable, but it would be bus compatable, so
superserial cards and so forth would work.

It will be years before I know enough to really go after this project,
but it should be fun.

Mike