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From: roger@nsc.nsc.com (Roger Thompson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: Re: NS32000 Processor
Message-ID: <4399@nsc.nsc.com>
Date: Tue, 16-Jun-87 02:09:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: nsc.4399
Posted: Tue Jun 16 02:09:27 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jun-87 05:46:43 EDT
References: <266@udcps1.UUCP> <642@umnd-cs.D.UMN.EDU> <6779@g.ms.uky.csnet>
Organization: National Semiconductor, Sunnyvale
Lines: 35

In article <2295@hoptoad.uucp>, gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) writes:
> 
> My recollection is that the 32000s weren't passed by because IBM
> disapproved but because they could not get their act together to ship
> working chips.  Companies and individuals who were used to getting

When IBM was out searching for a micro, our CPU was stable.  What was
the real decider, your guess is as good as mine.  But it probably had
more to do with application software being available without
cumbersome AT&T licenses.

> functioning chips after 3 revs (less if they weren't alpha test sites)
> gave up after 15 revs without working chips.  My personal experience at

We had *NIX up and running in 1983.  The first micro with demand paged
virtual memory.  We are working on our third generation MMU and I'm
still waiting for your Mot to come up with one customers like SUN
will use.

> 
> I also recall that the "full 32 bit" 32000 chip was only 30% faster
> than the 16-bit version, while Motorola had a part in design that ended
> up 300% to 500% as fast.  This tends to support my conclusion that
> it was lack of expertise at chip design and debugging that derailed
> the 32000.

Yes our 32032 was only 30% faster than the 32016, but there is a good
reason.  The 32016 was a 32-bit micro to start with.  Not Like the 68000.
The internals of the 32016 and the 32032 are the same.  Only the external
data bus is different. The 32332 ( at the same frequencies) is any 
where from 50 to 80% faster than the 32032.  All three have the same
32 bit internal register architecture and ALU and ALL are 100%
software compatible.  Can you say that for all the various Sun systems.

Roger Thompson ---- Series 32000 group