Re: Avatar

[ltchean@iss.nus.sg (Lim Thye Chean)]

toddpw@cco.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) writes:
: 
: It is not impossible. It just takes more work than most people realize -- but
: this is true for ANY chip; the 65xx series is the only one that did not have
: solid manufacturer backing for HLL development. Orca/C 2.0 (for all its bugs)
: is amazingly better, and at this point I think the real limitation is Mike
: Westerfield's personal view on how 65816 compilers should work.

Please explain a little more about Mike's view on how 65816 compiler should
work, and why his view limits the speed of 65816 compiler.

And if possible, please explain your own view on how it should work, and why
it is better.

I need to be convinced. And as I usually read your articles, I think you can
convinced me.

: Right now I see Orca/C and maybe Sanyo if they decide to run with their 65816
: derivative.

Does Nintendo programmers write everything in assembly?

: Note: NeXT has announced that they are going to stop making hardware and stick
: to being a software company from now on. A wise decision, since they have
: already ported NeXTStep to the 486 and it has much more potential than NeXT's
: hardware had (this is not a swipe on the 68040, but on NeXT's system design,
: which was too slick for its own good in too many ways).

Think of it the other way, many people DID buy the NeXT. Even after its death,
software and hardware companies can still survived, just like the companies
behind Commodore 64.

Companies behind Apple IIGS will die if there will never be a new IIGS computer
simply because the current base is too small. But if Avatar succeeds, then
there might be a niche market out there, for IIGS and Avatar companies.

Perhaps people who dislike the mainstream computer will like to take a look
at Avatar, after NeXT drops the machine.

: True, but that's about the extent of the potential market. Unless the machine
: offers something that is unique _and_ desirable to modern users, it isn't
: going to win over anyone new.

Even anyone _old_ is quite a big market for a computer like Avatar. Then if
the sales is going on well, we can expect to see better version, and brought
someone _new_.

: What I'd like to see out of Avatar is full exploitation of the coprocessor
: design, in effect creating a cheap multiprocessor machine with response time
: that whomps the current crop of monolithic workstations into the ground, even
: if its raw computation specs aren't impressive at all. 90% of what I do on my
: sparc at work is either graphic-intensive or text-intensive, and the
: interactive response on most modern workstations still leaves something to
: be desired.

Well, as what I have always say, if you want a Sparc, get a Sparc. If you want
a PC, get a PC. If you like Apple II to be forever, we need a computer to
get us to the end of century, and Avatar is the _only_ hope.

: Todd Whitesel
: toddpw @ cco.caltech.edu

--
    %% GS Lover Loves GS %%    Author of Super Magic 3 & Mandelbrot II GS
    %%  and Avatar too.  %%   
          Lim Thye Chean: Lim is my surname. My name is Thye Chean.
     My address: LTCHEAN@ISS.NUS.SG, or 9, College Green, Singapore 1129