Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!sdd.hp.com!usc!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: 68040 and AmigaDos
Message-ID: <35367@cup.portal.com>
Date: 29 Oct 90 09:42:35 GMT
References: <34798@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 40

S36666WB%ETSUACAD.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu (Brian Wright)
in <34798@nigel.ee.udel.edu> writes:

	I was talking to someone a while back and they told me something
	interesting and disturbing.  They were saying that because Motorola
	has had to redesign the 68040 to increase the speed that it violates
	some of the ways that AmigaDOS handles things and therefore won't run
	under 1.3 and quite possibly 2.0.  I don't claim to be a hardware
	guru, so if anyone can please either dispell this or explain why it
	won't work it'd be much appreciated.  If the 040 doesn't run under 2.0
	right now, is it in the works to fix that?  I am very interested in
	getting an 040 board for my 3000 so everything is of interest where
	the 040 concerns.  Thanks for any info.

Well, I cannot speak about AmigaDOS in this regards, but at last week's AT&T
UNIX Users' Group we had a 68040 system to "play with" and I can state
categorically that software which runs on a 68010 (3B1/UNIXPC) and on a 68020
(MightyFrame) can be simply copied (via tape or Ethernet) to that 68040 box
and continue to function just fine (this was NOT shown during the presentation
simply due to time (we also had an 80486 running SVR4 there) and the fact I
didn't have any tapes or a 3B1 with Ethernet with me at the meeting).  The box
was the SVR3.2 UNIX system from UNISYS/NCG (formerly Convergent Technologies)
and was their model 4040 which will officially debut on or about Nov. 21.

As you've probably heard, there are still some problems with the 68040, but
I'm sure Motorola will come through, and any software that plays "by the
rules" should continue to operate.  Some variants of the 68040 have problems
with floating point (this WILL be fixed) and some variants have had problems
with integer divide (this WILL be fixed).

It's my recollection the 200-pin "cpu slot" on the A3000 has been clearly
stated as accomodating a 68040 (or other) CPU expansion.  I have full faith
the Amiga system will (eventually) operate with a 68040 just fine considering
it's one of the few systems "out there" which has a demonstrated ability of
functioning with a wide variety of CPU chips (68000, 68010, 68020, and 68030).

Rumors concerning an as-yet-not-officially-released product should be confined
to the gutter from which they emanate and fester.

Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]