Path: utzoo!attcan!sobmips!uunet!samsung!rex!wuarchive!decwrl!shelby!lindy!ucscb.UCSC.EDU!lunatic From: lunatic@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lunatic) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: 10 mhz chips Summary: I've got an idea! () Message-ID: <5816@lindy.Stanford.EDU> Date: 16 Nov 89 11:33:59 GMT References: <36519@apple.Apple.COM> Sender: news@lindy.Stanford.EDU (News Service) Reply-To: lunatic@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lunatic) Organization: UCSC Undergrads Lines: 69 . ][ know that this is another subject that has been beaten to death, but I have a suggestion that no one else has as yet come up with, and perhaps we could have some discussion of it. |) |)ut first, just for the heck of it, I think I'll add Matt's most recent oft-quoted line: In article <36403@apple.Apple.COM> mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage) writes: (: Faster video is one thing, but faster I/O could very well mean that none of the (: existing peripheral cards for the Apple II would work in such a new IIgs. Do (: you think all people who would want a new IIgs would be ready to give up their (: 5.25" disk cards, their Video Overlay cards, their FPE cards, maybe their (: TransWarp cards, their parallel printer cards, their slot-based RAM cards, (: their IEEE-488 cards, and who knows what else? I have my doubts. (I'm always smiling. :) |\|ow, my proposal: _ (_,ive the next IIGS a few slots that can work with both 8 and 16 bit cards. You've heard this before, you say? Well, this is how I think it could be done: add 16 to 20 pins to the existing slots and separate them from the other pins by a divider in the female connector. The existing cards would only fit in the regular 50 pins of the connector, and the new cards would fit the whole slot by having a notch in their edge connector just past those 50 original pins. The extra 16 or 20 lines could now be used to exchange data exclusively at high speeds, while the older 50 lines could still be used for control and power supply. See the diagram for a pictoral representation. Diagram. ------------------------- |:::::::::::::::::::::::::| Old Expansion slot connector ------------------------- ------------------------------------ |:::::::::::::::::::::::::|::::::::::| New Expansion slot connector ------------------------------------ One needn't worry about the new cards not working in older Apples, since if they are designed for the GS, what use do older Apples have for them? For instance, GS specific SCSI cards, accelerators and coprocessors that would like to transfer data in 16 bits, instead of 8. In fact, having GS specific cards unable to fit at all into older Apples would be an asset, since ignorant users could tell that the card just isn't compatible, and wouldn't risk damaging the card or the computer by trying to plug it in, anyway. Above all, you wouldn't have to give up all your existing cards! (Gee, I guess there WAS a reason I put Matt's oft-quoted line up there.) (Oh, and don't ask me how this all came out justified. I don't know. :) >----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions expressed in this tome >Send PERSONAL mail ONLY (please) to: | should not be construed to imply that >Amer. Online: Matt DTS | Apple Computer, Inc., or any of its >ThisNet: mattd@apple.com | subsidiaries, in whole or in part, >ThatNet: (stuff)!ames!apple!mattd | have any opinion on any subject." >Other mail by request only, please. | "So there." >----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________ ARPA: lunatic@uscsb.UCSC.EDU / ________/ Internet: lunatic%ucscb@ucscc.edu / ____// _ ___ _ UUCP: ...!ucscc!ucscb!lunatic / ___///__ {_} |\| /-\ | ][ {_ GEnie: L.BRUCE (Lunatic Bruce) / __________________________________________________________________/ (: