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From: bass@dmsd.UUCP (John Bass)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16,net.micro.amiga,net.micro.68k
Subject: Re: 68000 Memory Managment
Message-ID: <270@dmsd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 19-Aug-86 13:42:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: dmsd.270
Posted: Tue Aug 19 13:42:29 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Aug-86 20:55:31 EDT
References: <508@elmgate.UUCP> <64@mit-prep.ARPA> <653@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Organization: DMS Design, San Luis Obispo Office, CA
Lines: 23
Keywords: 68000 atari amiga 68k mmu
Summary: Cost ... MMU's are cheap
Xref: mnetor net.micro.atari16:1729 net.micro.amiga:4406 net.micro.68k:1165

In article <653@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>, grr@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (George Robbins) writes:
> A reasonable attitute, but remember that both the Amiga and Atari were
> intended to be affordable machines.  To this end, they contain only those
> things that were considered to be needed - no 'it sure would be nice...'
> type goodies.

Consider that a simple paging mmu is a pal and two highspeed 16k static rams,
a production cost of under $10 in ST quantities, furthermore parity is under
$5 -- at a 3:1 retail price to parts cost ratio we are talking under $45 at
the shelf. This is the difference between the ST being a game machine and
having the support for process issolation and error detection for a strong
bussiness machine. The additional market share should justify it, except for
the mindset of being in the highly competitve game market. If both of these
we included in the custom vlsi, the cost would have been cheaper.

Sorry ... but Atari just screwed up ... this machine is not just another
400/800 in the market place -- it is big enough to go places, but remains
cripled by it's designers.
-- 

John Bass (DBA:DMS Design)
DMS Design (System Design, Performance and Arch Consultants)
{amdahl,fortune,polyslo}!dmsd!bass