Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!ctrsol!ginosko!aplcen!haven!decuac!shlump.nac.dec.com!frambo.enet.dec.com From: balzer@frambo.enet.dec.com (Christian Balzer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: Amiga 3000 rumors Keywords: Bed, A3000, doing it "right" this time. Message-ID: <4686@shlump.nac.dec.com> Date: 13 Sep 89 13:52:17 GMT Organization: DEC SWAS Frankfurt/W.Germany Lines: 60 In article <7886@cbmvax.UUCP>, daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie) writes... >in article <8909082318.AA08542@postgres.Berkeley.EDU>, dillon@POSTGRES.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) says: > >> Whatever it has, it had better have a 32 bit data bus or it's no >> better than an A2000. Sometimes commodore can be so stupid and miss >> the real obvious necessities. > >Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something, Matt? > Probably, or he's still mad about not thinking about that interrupt in the parnet design. ;-) ;-) But to get this topic back on track, I would like get some of the load I have regarding the A3000 of my back. During my various conversations with Dave Haynie I avoided this topic, to be able to discuss it here without breaching any non-disclosure agreements. 1. I think we can safely assume that the A3000 will feature a 32 bit wide system bus. 2. A stoopid(tm) thing to do would be an A3000 without a 32 bit version of the custom chips. Enhancements that go beyond that of the ECS would be needed to place the A3000 succesfully in the upper PC/lower workstation range. 3. Another VERY stoopid(tm) thing would be the placement of the CPU on the motherboard. A violation of the OSA concept and even those PeeCee designers have learned this lesson. A really nice thing would be a 68000 as fallback CPU on the motherboard. Whilst giving utmost compatibility with all the "standard" Amigas, this feature could be implemented at very low costs... 4. A friend of mine (Martin Kopp of TurboBackup fame) has much more to say on this specific subject, but in nutshell his proposal goes like this: -An Amiga without compatible custom chipset is no longer an Amiga. -The chipset has certain limitations that are VERY expensive to overcome. -The solution is simple, supply the A3000 with a powerful chipset (like large screens [1024 by 1024 min.] more colors...) but don't try to do the (financially) impossible and have the whole system try to refresh these displays at flicker free rates (25Hz are sufficient for animations). Instead use an "extended" FlickerFixer approach that will allow the user to purchase "video cards" that will give him the display he needs and can afford. Like standard NTSC would be nearly for free, while HDTV with option to display 1280 by 800 pixels at 100Hz would drive you bankrupt... :-) 5. I could live with an A3000 that consists of an A2000 with ECS, A2630... But a quick'n dirty solution (and nothing else is possible in the time until the next CeBIT) 6. Don't let any hyperactive marketroids push the Amiga development too far too hasty...(This is for "insiders") Regards, -- _ _ / / | \ \ aka Christian Balzer - The Software Brewery - // < < |-< > decwrl!frambo.enet!CB -OR- unido!decum!frambo.dnet!CB // \ \_ |_/ / I-Net: CB@frambo.enet.dec.com | E-Net: FRAMBO::BALZER \\ // ------------ PMail: Im Wingertsberg 45, D-6108 Weiterstadt, F.R.G. \X/