Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cbmvax!daveh From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: A rough future for the Amiga??? I think not. Message-ID: <10764@cbmvax.commodore.com> Date: 10 Apr 90 23:35:40 GMT References: <16192@snow-white.udel.EDU> <1990Apr8.013940.12984@wam.umd.edu> <10715@cbmvax.commodore.com> Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax (Dave Haynie) Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA Lines: 41 In article <10715@cbmvax.commodore.com> andy@cbmvax (Andy Finkel) writes: >In article <1990Apr8.013940.12984@wam.umd.edu> ddev@wam.umd.edu (Don DeVoe) writes: >>use coprocessors to help relieve the main processor. No. The actual quote is >>as follows: "...It is also the first personal computer to have two >>additional processors - with the power of two additional personal computers - >>to manage the flow of information inside." That's an extremely silly statement, if you ask me. The 6502s in the Mac IIfx are certainly a good idea, and they are in fact faster than the 65816 in the Apple II GS. But speed alone does not a personal computer make. Those two 6502s are buried deep inside two ASICs, and can only be used as I/O processors. They don't have lots of memory or many other elements of a complete computer. >>Now consider: Do the Amiga's blitter, copper, etc. themselves have the >>power of additional personal computers??? Nope, they don't. They do, however, handle graphics operations faster than either an 8MHz 68000 or a 10MHz 6502 could ever hope to. You decide if that's the power of a personal computer, if that's how you now rate things after reading the Apple adds. You're comparing mangos with lobsters here. >The Amiga 500, 1000 and 2000 each have a 6502 as well as a 68000. >(the A2500 has a 6502, a 68000, and a 68020 or 68030; however, >since the 68000 and 68020/030 are not active at the same time) In fact, if you all really want to count CPUs, the original A2500/20 came with a 68000, a 68020, a Z-80, and a 6502 all buried inside. My current A2500/30 setup includes a 6502, a 4502, a 68030, a 68000, and an 80286. Some of the work once done by the Z-80 (in the hard disk controller) is handled by custom logic and smart hard drives. > andy -- Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Systems Engineering) "The Crew That Never Rests" {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: hazy BIX: hazy Too much of everything is just enough