Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!emory!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!brolga!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!iceman!cpca
From: cpca@iceman.jcu.oz (C Adams)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: C= Chip Set (was for all those who want more advertising)
Message-ID: <1154@iceman.jcu.oz>
Date: 30 Oct 90 01:18:34 GMT
References: <34391@nigel.ee.udel.edu| <3422@corpane.UUCP>
Organization: JCUNQ, Townsville, Qld, Australia
Lines: 34

In article <3422@corpane.UUCP>, sparks@corpane.UUCP (John Sparks) writes:
> BARRETT@owl.ecil.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes:
> |   I would like to add that most of the R&D on the original chipset was
> |done by the original Amiga company, which was a very small company with
> |only thousands of dollars to spend on R&D.  Even though Commodore is not
> |as big as, say, Apple, IBM, or Compaq, Commodore is still much, much 
> |bigger than the original Amiga company, with millions of dollars to spend
> |on R&D.  More money means less time to complete R&D.  So, I maintain 
> |that the 32-bit chipset should be done by done, if Commodore has been
> |working on it for any time at all.
> 
> True, you can finish a project faster with more money than with no money,
> but just because you have the bucks doesn't equate to a solution. Designing
> IC's are a bit harder than you think.

And if C= had announced their new chipset over a year ago, and weren't
shipping in quantity by now, I think people would have been flaming
Commodore even more for vapourware.  If big chip companies like
Motorola and Intel (with the i486 and 040) can't release bug free
chips on time, it's a bit much to expect C= to.

Also, the question of how C= is going to put a 32 bit chipset into
the 500/2000 hasn't been addressed by the net.  Perhaps, C= are
going to need 2 chipsets. One full 32 bit set with the works
(24 bit video etc), and one improved 16 bit set that might be
faster that the old set, but only have 8 bit video.

And what will C= improve in the new chip set, besides clockspeed and
bandwidth (16 to 32 bits)?  Personally I don't see them improving 
anything except sound, blitter and video (res && colour). The
sprites will only be improved to take advantage of the new colours. 

Colin Adams        You need to have a woman, before you can have a Sun :-)
Email Address -    cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au