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From: djh@dragon.metaphor.com (Dallas J. Hodgson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: MC68881/2 Support (hello, Dave Haynie)
Message-ID: <1183@metaphor.Metaphor.COM>
Date: 31 May 90 18:58:45 GMT
References: <1181@metaphor.Metaphor.COM> <11996@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Sender: news@metaphor.Metaphor.COM
Reply-To: djh@dragon.metaphor.com (Dallas J. Hodgson)
Organization: Metaphor Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA
Lines: 27


Hmm, The Sun 3/50's used to trap out thru Unix for their FFP instructions if
no comprocessor was present, and Unix has a much higher overhead than
AmigaDOS. Likewise, PC's often do the same. If you're doing enough FP that
exception vector overhead is an issue, then you sound like a candidate for
buying a math coprocessor. Well? For businesses, this is certainly the case.
For hobbyists, well you know we're cheap...

The "shared library" support is not effective the way it stands right now,
because only 1 of the libraries RECOGNIZES the FFP. And it's Not the popular
one! As long as developers keep on using Motorola FFP as their standard,
(and they will unless precision requirements demand otherwise) we're gonna
keep having a lot of useless 68881/2/040 hardware lying around.

The only software I have that makes use of it is Turbo-Silver 3.0 SV. Impulse
solved their problem by supplying to different executables of this product.
What if Dpaint used the chip for Perspective? What if Design-3D or
Modeler-3D did also? Too bad they don't. Now that Design-3D & Modeler-3D are
no longer supported, it looks like they never will.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Dallas J. Hodgson               |     "This here's the wattle,             |
| Metaphor Computer Systems       |      It's the emblem of our land.        |
| Mountain View, Ca.              |      You can put it in a bottle,         |
| USENET : djh@metaphor.com       |      You can hold it in your hand."      |
+============================================================================+
| "The views I express are my own, and not necessarily those of my employer" |
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