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From: farren@hoptoad.uucp (Mike Farren)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Cloning the new IBMs without violating copyrights
Message-ID: <2033@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: Wed, 22-Apr-87 05:32:17 EST
Article-I.D.: hoptoad.2033
Posted: Wed Apr 22 05:32:17 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Apr-87 01:16:37 EST
References: <766@vaxwaller.UUCP> <662@edge.UUCP>
Reply-To: farren@hoptoad.UUCP (Mike Farren)
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
Lines: 33
Keywords: silicon compilers reverse engineering

To the best of my knowledge (incomplete, I admit), there are four factors
which impinge on the "clonability" of the new IBM PS/2 computers:

1.  The new VGA graphics hardware.  This is not unclonable, it will just
    take a little time to get equivalent graphics adapters and monitors
    out to the general market.  Probably six months, max.

2.  The new ABIOS/CBIOS code.  Again, not unclonable (I've heard rumors
    that say the first clone will appear in about a month!).

3.  ESDI disk drives.  Easily cloned, but nobody's doing it yet.  Needs
    new disk controllers, and fully efficient operation may depend on:

4.  "Microchannel" bus architecture.  This is probably what's going to make
    the new machines stand alone for quite a while.  A large part of the
    superiority that the new machines offer is in this bus, which is much
    more efficient than the older PC bus.  That bus was, essentially, just
    a direct tie to the processor address/data/control lines.  The new bus
    is much more sophisticated, with a considerable amount of support
    circuitry, all of which IBM is bent on protecting.  Patents galore have
    been applied for, and an official IBM spokesman has said "If you're going
    to try and copy us, you should know that IBM has a lot of money for
    lawyer's fees." (Paraphrase)

So, not unclonable, but it'll take a while before the cloners can come up to
the performance standards and still keep the prices down.


-- 
----------------
                 "... if the church put in half the time on covetousness
Mike Farren      that it does on lust, this would be a better world ..."
hoptoad!farren       Garrison Keillor, "Lake Wobegon Days"