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Re: [Plug] CPU Dependent Components (Linmodems)
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> From: Alexander John Batyi <bud@buxcom.net>
> To: plug@lists.nothinbut.net
> Subject: Re: [Plug] CPU Dependent Components (Linmodems)
> Date: Tuesday, August 10, 1999 1:34 PM
>
>
> It is a 180 from the original Amiga where they used
> dedicated separate processors for graphics, sound
> and animation. But then again the old big blue iron
> used microcode to implement 370 language and they
> could speed up the machine by upgrading the microcode.
>
<soapbox mode on>
Weeelll;
I believe that the old DEC PDP's were noted for their processor controlled
i/o.
And closer to the home, the humble Atari home computers employeed exactly
that technology - the video was a separate cpu, and so was the sound - and
the i/o I believe. I was able to program the video chip so that I had
different resolutions for various parts of the screen - neato!!. Not only
that, with the lowly Atari, you could peek a different address into a
register, and the video chip "instantaneously used a different portion of
memory as its video map - used extensively in many Atari computer games.
The "IBM" PC still has a long way to go to catch up - in my mind.
<soapbox mode off>
Just a humble old fart's opinion
Dave E.
dedwards@technologist.com
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