Re: WDC's 32-bit W65T32

[John <zzzjoki@yahoo.com>]

On Nov 28, 12:13 am, "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:
> aiiad...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Nov 2, 8:57 am, Mike Maginnis <magin...@computist-project.net>
> > wrote:
>
> >>Apparently, this is old news, but it looks like WDC's forthcoming
> >>32-bit  chip is completely 6502/65816 compatible.  I don't know much
> >>about CPU architecture, so I don't know if this would matter to the A2
> >>community.  Would such a chip impact us at all with, say, the
> >>development of new peripherals, etc?
>
> > It's been rumored to be in development for over ten years, I think...
>
> Any chip in development for 10 years has actually been *not* in
> development for 10 years.  ;-)
>
> > compatible with 6502...  ugh...  how do you get 32 bit's address with
> > only 16 address lines?  Some sort of scheme to put first 16bits on, ?
> > latch it?
> > in another chip, then get next 16 bits...  then an MMU would address
> > the appropriate RAM chip?
>
> > If it doesn't happen, how about modifying a 65816 VHDL or verilog
> > core?
>
> > would be cool to get it running, and code a C compiler that works with
> > 32bits... we could port a ton of software to the II...  except for the
> > low
> > resolution of graphics and speed of CPU...
>
> And it would be like the old axe that's exactly the same except for
> the new axe head and the new axe handle.  ;-)
>
> In exactly what way would a system running an as yet undefined
> 32-bit processor be an Apple II?  (Oh, yes--"compatibility mode".)
>
> Why not just build an ARM coprocessor card with 512MB of DRAM and
> an interface to the peripheral slot?  That would at least have
> some "spiritual" connection to the Apple II...

Or, run an emulator and put an Apple 2 sticker on the corner of your
monitor.

I like the ARM (or something idea). Microchip released the PIC32
recently - power, input, output are all ready to go for the MCU in the
Apple 2.

It's an idea I've thought about a little. It would be fun to
experiment with even a 16F or a 24F on the Apple side - and possibly
handy.