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Path: utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!xios!!alex
From: alex@.UUCP (Alex Laney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Wishlist for A3000
Message-ID: <478@.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 18-Nov-87 19:56:06 EST
Article-I.D.: .478
Posted: Wed Nov 18 19:56:06 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Nov-87 23:48:11 EST
References: <74@mithras> <2729@cbmvax.UUCP>
Organization: Xicom Technologies -- we write gateways to IBM
Lines: 48
Summary: Hope someone at C-A is examining 68030 compatibility

> > 
> >  (1) Use the 68030 CPU (sample quantities are available now)
> 

ME>  I hope that 68030 issues are examined for v1.3 Dos/Exec. I would love to
     get an '030 someday. Is the on-chip MMU fast? I love the on-chip 128k
     cache!

> >  (2) Incorporate changes in ADOS to allow VIRTUAL memory
> 	A good idea, but fairly difficult.  Of course you want virtual memory
 > 	without overhead.  Note that most of the people who want big memory
> 	aren't running one big program, rather they want to have a lot of
> 	programs resident and a big ramdisk, etc.  The availability of cheap
> 	hard drives should ease the need for this memory hogging.

ME>  I think what is desired is really some sort of paging, which is implicit
     in virtual memory systems. So you could have lots of programs resident,
     which would fight a lot for resources, but their needs would be somewhat
     smaller. Of course, Chip Ram sort of throws this idea a bit...

>  
> >  (3) Use the NUBUS (I think apple made a pretty good choice and compatibility
> 
> 	We would get shot.  The A2000 bus may not be fancy, but it gets the
> 
ME> Someone with the initials mwm maybe?

> >  (4) Built-in SCSI or ESMD controller (DMA, please)

ME> The current hard-disk MOS chip should be migratable to the mother board
    at some point. But what people want more is the cost of the Commodore
    A2090 to drop in price. It is a little high, but it does give you a lot
    of capability. In other words, maybe a simpler built-in drive controller
    would be popular.
> 
> >  (5) 256 out of 16 meg colors (current industry standard IS good enough)
> 
> 	Uh, it's a good starting point, however one needs to give attention
> 	to making it extensible, rather than designing in something that seems
> 	adequate, but can't be enhanced in a compatible fashion.

ME> As long as it doesn't break what already exists!

-- 
Alex Laney   alex@xicom.UUCP   ...utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!xios!xicom!alex
Xicom Technologies, 205-1545 Carling Av., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
We may have written the SNA software you use.
The opinions are my own.