Re: Alltech Electronics-- full-speed accel?

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article Joseph Lee <nugundam+NOUBE@netcom.com> writes...

>Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> spawned virtual particles writing:
>:      Today, with lots of cheap, fast RAM, putting 16MB of RAM on an
>: accelerator card probably makes better sense than messing with tag RAM,
>: etc.. It might even be cheaper to produce such an accelerator.
>
>As it's been said before, if it gets so easy to make a superior accelerator
>card today, why not just make a new GS?  The costs and efforts into doing
>the accelerator could be better spent just making a new computer, or even
>why bother?

    That was tried several years back (i.e. Avatar project), but ended
up being cancelled due to the shrinking Apple II market size back then.
It's now 1998--you could probably fit the people who now consist of the
remaining Apple II market in a large room (at least potential buyers).
The chances of a new Apple IIgs are absolutely nill, although I doubt
many people will argue with that. :) And yep, why bother indeed...

>PCs are finally at a state where the Apple IIs were 10 years ago.
>Open architecture, plenty of hardware, lots of software, great sound,
>games galore, etc.

    Come to think of it, with the PC where it is today, I've finally
given up day dreaming about a new Apple IIgs. Every feature I ever
wanted in a new IIgs has been incorperated into the PC, or can be
easily added--not too mention it can now do things I would have
not even imagined a few years ago.

    Even had a new redesign of the GS surfaced, I'm not so sure it
would have been the ideal solution. Everything probably would have
been built-in again, soldered to the motherboard (graphics, sound,
SCSI controller, etc), much like the Macintosh today. I perfer to
be modular, custom picking my compotents and being able to swap
them at will, when I change my mind or they simple become obsolite. 

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca