Re: A85: new 85 hardware...

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Re: A85: new 85 hardware...


The Z80 will never be maxed out. only your limited thinking.  Do you
program?  I agree with Humberto (although not on all things he has said
lately:Rigel is not the God-Shell.  Currently one doesnt exist.)  in that
Daedalus is a prime example.  But even that did not max out the z80.  it was
made on a computer (yes.  A computer) that was limited to only 27K of RAM
available, is clocked to a 2Mhz rate (the proc is rated for 6Mhz, but TI
decided, for unknown reasons, perhaps reliablitty, to slow it down.)  and
has a 128x64 b/w screen.  This is the not the limit of the hardware extent
of the z80 processor!!!  Daedalus may have maxed out the TI-85, but
definelty not the Z80.  Know this:The only limits imposed on the Z80 and any
computer built using it is a 20Mhz clock,  and an 8bit instruction set.
Memory can be, and is in many cases, paged.  As can be ROM.  Input can be
interfaced to ports.  Including a full 102keyboard, mouse, or joystick.
Output can be done on a SVGA screen, if we just interfaced the card to the
bus properly.  the IO ports can be paged. Or, RAM space can be used for
extra IO space. You get the idea.  The TI-85 has been (almsot) maxed out by
one game.  One game.  No other ones are even close.  None. Period.

--Jonathan Kaus
IRC: Jedsmeny
ICQ: 15873088
AIM: Jedsmeny
email: kaus@cybrzn.com




-----Original Message-----
From: Humberto Yeverino <humberto@engr.csufresno.edu>
To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org <assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org>
Date: Thursday, September 03, 1998 12:30 PM
Subject: Re: A85: new 85 hardware...


>
>On Thu, 3 Sep 1998, Jason Blakeley wrote:
>> My question is how much potential do you think the z80 has? In the age
>> of 64-bit and 128-bit Pentium processors that clock at 400mHz, how many
>> z80 programmers would ever be satisfied with with the quality of
>> programs they could write for an 8-bit, 6mHz calc? I always thought that
>> the reason people programmed calcs in the first place was because it was
>> open territory. It wasn't dominated by DOS, Windows, or Unix. It seemed
>> kind of like when the first 8088 or 8086's PC's were made. There was no
>> one making software for it at first. But even PC companies and users
>> moved on to faster processors because they realized that there was only
>> so much they could do with a 8086. Their larger, more complicated, and
>> more entertaining programs required more processing power and more
>> memory to run them. I just think its gotten to the point where we've
>> maxxed out the calc and we're searching for something to do with it
>> because nothing more powerful has come out.
>
>But when I look at the software situation I see everyone using a shell
>with an inferior relocator that wastes space.  Instead of writting or just
>using the better relocator that's already been written the solution is
>make an expander for more memory.
>The way I see it most programmers don't even use what's already there, or
>just don't use it effectively.  Maybe it's because everyone thinks it's
>easier to add more memory than to write programs that use less.
>
>The only game that, in my opinion, maxed ot the z80 was Daedulus, and the
>games I've seen lately don't even come close to it's complexity.
>
>-Humberto Yeverino Jr.
>
>"I kick ass for the Lord."
>
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