Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!gatech!gitpyr!byron
From: byron@pyr.gatech.EDU (Byron A Jeff)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: FSF/AT-bus architecture
Message-ID: <7797@pyr.gatech.EDU>
Date: 31 Mar 89 21:49:24 GMT
References: <5768@ux.cs.man.ac.uk>
Reply-To: byron@pyr.UUCP (Byron A Jeff)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 44

In article <5768@ux.cs.man.ac.uk> dente@s2.uucp (Colin Dente) writes:
-In response to someone's (sorry - I don't recall who) comment about people
-using the AT bus for anything other than 80x86 boards - well Apollo use it
-in all their latest 'Personal workstations' (i.e. DN3000, 4000, 3500 & 4500)
-and it don't seem to do them no harm.  It's not used for everything (e.g.
-memory) - but then do PC maker's never put fast busses for RAM (he asks,
-thereby displaying 100% lack of knowledge of IBM PCs).

I rememered that piece of info about a day after I posted the question.
I used to work on a DN3000 (68020 based unixlike workstation).

-
-I must agree with the original idea - use of this bus *would* give access
-to loads of cheap peripherals - just so long as nobody suggests it should
-run MSDOS - I think I'd unsubscribe immediately if that happened!!!

Just as long as we agree on at base idea. 

-
-This does, however, lead to all sorts of wondering about operating systems
-and processors - as these are fairly fundamentally inter-related - are we
-aiming for a cheap unix box? - or is someone going to write a whole new
-operating system? (offers?).  What would people want out of this machine?
-
-Colin

Definitly Unix. I'd wait 'til the illustrious Mr. Stallman finishes
GNU. Should be in a year or two right?

Processors: Linear address space, 32 bit (or more) address, data busses,
orthagonal instruction set (for those sick puppies who write device
drivers and other similar ilk is assembly), Virtual memory/paging support.
Fast.

I'd want something that can do real work but that I can have fun tinkering
with both hardware and software. It would be real nice if it didn't 
break the bank either.

BAJ
-- 
Another random extraction from the mental bit stream of...
Byron A. Jeff
Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
Internet:	byron@pyr.gatech.edu  uucp:	...!gatech!pyr!byron