Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/13/84; site intelca.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!lll-crg!qantel!intelca!glen
From: glen@intelca.UUCP (Glen Shires)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Reader Poll
Message-ID: <173@intelca.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-Jan-86 19:27:48 EST
Article-I.D.: intelca.173
Posted: Tue Jan  7 19:27:48 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jan-86 05:47:47 EST
References: <1276@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Intel, Santa Clara, Ca.
Lines: 25

> I'm interested in getting response from the readers of this newsgroup
> regarding a hypothetical machine.
> 
> How many people reading this newsgroup would be interested in a computer
> that had as its base processor a 16MHZ 68020 running with 4MB of no
> wait state memory, an optional 68881FPU, an MMU, either UNIX, or a
> UNIX look-alike, a keyboard interface, a SCSI channel, and an N slot
> IBM PC expansion bus that could take any card that an IBM PC could? The
> video monitor would be a plug in board as in the PC. The price would be
> competitive with the PC-AT.
> 
Don't forget, just because the plug-in cards are hardware compatible, they
probably wouldn't be software compatible.  A lot of cards come with bundled
software (memory cards have RAMdisk, mice have paint programs, video cards,
disk controllers, LAN controllers, etc. often have drivers).  In addition
many have an on-board BIOS ROM.

That means to make these cards useful in such a system requires special
software.  For that matter, the entire system requires application software
from somewhere.
-- 
^ ^    Glen Shires, Intel, Santa Clara, Ca.
O O     Usenet: {ucbvax!amd,pur-ee,hplabs}!intelca!glen
 >      ARPA:   "amd!intelca!glen"@BERKELEY
\-/    --- stay mellow