Problems in "Modernizing" a //gs

[bjblackbear@ibm.net (B.J. Major)]

I discussed this notion of what it would take to upgrade or "modernize" an
Apple IIgs with a programmer/engineering friend of mine in Australia.  His
thoughts on the subject appear below in quotes.  If you disagree with him
or have other thoughts on the subject, you should contact him directly via
his web page address instead of emailing me.  I'll only mention here that
he's one of the most brilliant computer minds I know, does programming for
a living, and also does custom hardware design on the side.  In other
words, he's an all-around technical genius.

====================================
>Hmm. I hate to sound like a wet blanket, but if the 65832 is 
>pin-compatible with the 65816 then it is still basically an 8-bit CPU 
>with some 16-bit features. The 65816 was not very powerful; the systems 
>that used it to best effect (eg. Super Famicom) got their wow value from 
>exciting custom graphics and audio ICs, not from CPU horsepower. The 
>68000, clock for clock, is substantially more powerful than the 65C816 
>used in the IIgs.
>
>I daresay that a reasonably powerful PowerPC machine running an emulator 
>will be able to emulate this "mystery 65832" at three or four times the 
>instruction rate speed, and at least an order of magnitude higher thruput 
>than the actual hardware.
>
>Additionally, the figure of $100k might be enough to realize the CPU 
>design, but there's no way it will be enough to completely re-engineer 
>the IIgs motherboard - which would be necessary, because the IIgs's 
>memory subsystem wasn't designed for such high bus speeds.
>
>It would also be necessary to hack (at best... rewrite at worst) the 
>IIgs's firmware, because there are software timing loops in the ROM for 
>things like floppy drive step rate, all of which would be thrown out of 
>whack by a faster CPU.
>
>Sorry, I don't think it's a feasible project. That's not to say it 
>wouldn't be fun, of course.
>
>
>
>=== From the Apple PowerBook of ======================
>Lewin A.R.W. Edwards [Team OS/2] <http://www.zws.com/>
>Certified Apple Engineer                    Programmer
>Need a programmer?    <http://www.zws.com/resume.html>
>Tel  +61-412809805,  +61-411499000   Fax +61-392281335
>=== (C) Copyright 1997 by Lewin A.R.W. Edwards =======

--bj
Proud user/owner of Apple Computers since 1984
Barbie and Ken doll fan since 1961
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