Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!emory!att!pacbell.com!ames!haven!adm!smoke!gwyn From: gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: Building a NEW computer Message-ID: <14695@smoke.brl.mil> Date: 9 Dec 90 05:48:22 GMT References: <9012090428.AA16099@apple.com> Organization: U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, APG, MD. Lines: 28 In article <9012090428.AA16099@apple.com> $CSD211@LSUVM.BITNET (Mark Orr) writes: >Yeah, MUL, DIV and FP instructions cost money...But show me another personal >computer (built now) based on a CPU without divide and multiply. To say that >these instructions have no use on a computer (even a Nintendo) is goofy. Try >doing rapid coordinate transforms without 'em. Some CDC mainframes did not have "divide" instructions, yet nobody accused them of being slow. Multiplication is of some use but division is seldom used in most applications. Floating point is of even less general use, and in fact floating-point accelerators are frequently an extra-cost option, so that only those who need them pay the price. Note that a 68881 card is available for the Apple II family; I have one but it is of noticeable benefit only for a few specialized applications. >UNIX could be run on an Apple II...with a coprocessor card. That would be rather pointless. In fact, UNIX (circa 7th Edition) could run on a stock IIGS. However, it is doubtful that it would be worth the porting effort. Talk about manufacturing your own enhanced Apple IIs is silly. Hardware is not important; software is. Nobody is likely to market any software for your deviant machine, so you'd have to roll your own. Not even most of the computer industry giants were able to survive without third-party commercial software for their systems.