Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!natinst!davoli
From: davoli@natinst.com (Russell Davoli)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Mac LC or NEXT & Apple Should Move On...
Message-ID: <19326@natinst.natinst.com>
Date: 7 Feb 91 18:01:18 GMT
References: <0101001C.2o6zkr@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca>
Organization: National Instruments, Austin, TX
Lines: 33

In article <0101001C.2o6zkr@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca>, andyb@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca (Andy Babinszki) writes:
> 
> > Lots of things said ...
> 
> 
> I'll elaborate.  When the Mac II first came out @ 16 MHz, a 10MHz bus didn't sound
> unreasonable.  Now, however, when we're seeing top end Macs running at 40MHz ( and
> beyond -> rumors... ) isn't 10MHz becoming a bottleneck esp. for graphics?  Now I'm
> reading in MacWEEK that Apple is planning some kind of ROM U/G to up the bus speed
> to 20MHz.  Isn't this too little too late?  Rather than thinking about the minimum
> that they can get away with shouldn't they be thinking of the future?  Shouldn't Apple

[stuff deleted]
> 
> Andy.
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Andy Babinszki - andyb@tardis.wimsey.bc.ca

I would be all for a "wicked fast" NuBus, but I think the real hindrance to
having a faster bus is creating the spec.  I've heard of something called
NuBus '90 or something like that that define the 20 MHz spec.  NuBus isn't
exactly owned by Apple but by TI, so I don't think that Apple can just
one day say "NuBus, thou shalt run at 50 Mhz" - not to mention compatibility
problems with existing NuBus expansion boards.

Being a software guy, I'm no expert on bus nitty-gritty, so I more than
welcome any corrections from you hardware gurus on what I've said.

Russell Davoli
National Instrumets

Disclaimer: My opinions are mine, and don't necessarily agree with who pays me.