Re: 65816 coprocessor options..

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Mike Westerfield <MikeW50@aol.com> wrote:

> ----------
> In article <19991219163724.22121.00000289@ng-fw1.aol.com>, 
> supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) wrote:
> 
> > The only other program I can think of is some
> > version of the Merlin assembler.
> 
> Well, and the ORCA/M assembler, which was, after all, the first 65816
> assembler and the one adopted as the standard by both Apple and Western
> Design Center.

I think Supertimer was talking about programs which actually took
advantage of the 65802 processor when it is installed in an 8-bit
machine.

Merlin 16 requires a 65802 or 65816, but doesn't depend on any other
features of the IIgs, so it will work on a IIe or IIc with a 65802.

This makes a big difference in speed, since Merlin 8 and earlier
versions use Sweet 16.  The assembly speed of Merlin 16 is about five
times faster than Merlin 8, and it has a few extra features (such as a
more powerful linker).

Merlin 16+ requires a IIgs, and is faster still (mainly due to removing
memory constraints of having to live in 128K).

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P O Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand