Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucrmath!rhyde
From: rhyde@ucrmath.ucr.edu (randy hyde)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: Re: ET532 summary so far
Message-ID: <14107@ucrmath.ucr.edu>
Date: 1 May 91 22:55:28 GMT
References: <9104291929.AA15992@bach.convex.com> > <9104302248.29948@munnari.oz.au>
Organization: University of California, Riverside
Lines: 20

I'm not convinced you need an MMU for parallel processing.  If the board
only supports 4 megs (you can't expand it to 16, right?) I couldn't
imagine putting more than one process on it at a time anyway.

As for the 16 serial ports....  I don't need them.  I probably wouldn't
buy the parts for them.  My "ideal" eth532 would have ethernet, appletalk,
and a second SCSI port.  But I can live with the existing design.  Maybe
if George or Dave would bring the bus out to a header (!) so some of us
could build our own adapters.

As for the initial startup costs:  Might I suggest a scheme to lower
the costs somewhat.  Why not do the same thing you did on the initial
run of PC532s?  Convince National to sample the 32gx532 parts on the
first run?  This would more than offset the extra cost of the board.
People could buy them now and get the chip for free or buy them later and
have to scrounge the chip themselves. 
National, if they supplied a few free samples now, could get additional
sales later on when other boards sold, not to mention all these engineers
gaining experience with their chips :-).
*** RAndy Hyde