Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!apple!stevec
From: stevec@Apple.COM (Steve Christensen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac IIfx Quesitons
Message-ID: <7642@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 11 Apr 90 18:06:56 GMT
References: <8799@chaph.usc.edu>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 24

In article <8799@chaph.usc.edu> talcott@nunki.usc.edu (Adam Talcott) writes:
>In a recent ad in the Wall Street Journal (March 19, 1990)...
>...says, "It is...the first personal computer to have two additional
>processors...
>Question: Exactly what type of processors are these and what are they doing?

They are custom chips that contain a 6502 (the same CPU as in the Apple II).
One processor runs the floppy disks and ADB (mouse/keyboard), and the other
one runs the serial ports.  Since floppy disk activity is such a CPU hog,
using the I/O processor means that the '030 can be doing its thing while the
IOP is playing with the floppy disk.  And since the floppy and ADB code know
about each other, the mouse moves really smoothly even when you're formatting
a floppy.

>The ad also says, "...the new Apple 24-bit color card...gives you the ability
>to work with as many as 16.8 million colors..."
>
>Question: How many can it display at one time?

It depends on how big your monitor is.  For example, a 640x480 monitor can
display 307,200 pixels, so that's how many unique colors you can display at
a time (on that monitor).

steve