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Re: What exactly WAS Apple Pascal?



In article <20040717143148365+1200@News.Individual.NET>,
 Roger Johnstone <rojaws@orcon.net.nz> wrote:

> In <%sWJc.2715$54.32581@typhoon.sonic.net> Don Bruder  wrote:
> > 
> > I'm absolutely certain that there was a CPU that used P-code as its 
> > native machine language. I'm also absolutely certain that it was 
> > marketed as a (quite pricey, comparatively speaking) card to be 
> > plugged  into the Apple II. I *THINK* the card was sold under the name 
> > "P-engine". What I'm not certain about is what the chip number was. 
> > For  some reason, the 68000 is ringing a bell, but I'm pretty sure 
> > that's not  right, 'cause that was the CPU for the original Mac/Lisa/
> > Apple III, and  NONE of those use P-code natively.
> 
> Ahem, the Apple III used a 6502 CPU, not a 68000.

Gack! Correct you are. I should know that, too, since I just finished 
dinking around inside a III that's certifiably Tango Uniform. 

> There were third-party 68000 cards for the Apple II though, and I know 
> some of the various coprocessor cards had patches to speed up BASIC by 
> allowing the CPU on the card to execute the floating-point calculations. 
> Maybe one of these had a patch to run p-code on the 68000?

I'm thinking that the card I was thinkgin of was the Stellation P-mill, 
with the 6809, that someone else mentioned. That's not just ringing *A* 
bell, it's got Quasimodo making triple overtime. :)

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