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From: nzhang@ee.su.oz.au (Ning Zhang)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.intel,comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: SUMMARY: Comments wanted on Intel i860
Keywords: Summary Intel i860 processor boards systems usage
Message-ID: <1990Dec18.151138.12055@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>
Date: 18 Dec 90 15:11:38 GMT
References: <28701@megaron.cs.arizona.edu>
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Reply-To: nzhang@ee.su.oz.au (Ning Zhang)
Organization: EE, U of Sydney, Australia
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In article <28701@megaron.cs.arizona.edu> rupley@cs.arizona.edu (John Rupley) writes:
>:From: rupley@cs.arizona.edu (John Rupley)
>:I would appreciate any comments on use of the Intel i860 processor.
>:What systems or cards were used?  What OS?  UNIX?
>:What compilers?  Advice and suggestions?

When I was in Germany, I had tried to port my Radiosity/Raytracing/Zbuffer
package to some add-on i860 cards for PCs.

1. DSM i860 Card (Munich, Germany): Only on UNIX V platform, using MetaWare
   C860 compiler.
2. MicroWay 860 Card (MA, USA): Designed and Manufactured in England. With
   transparent interface between I860 CPU and host 386 chip. But only supports
   MicroWay compilers.
3. Datapath Merlin 860 Card (Nottingham, UK): With graphics copressor and
   vedio ram. Very limitted software support (you have to build your own
   interface, I/O handling and memory management). Supports any COFF files
   generated by MetaWare C386, GreenHill C386, etc.

The performace of the cards are the same. The difference is the software
development environment.  I finally chose Datapath's Merlin card as it can
also be used as a very fast graphics accelerator, though I had spent a lot
time to build my own transparent interface like MicroWay's.

-Ning