-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, April 19, 1999 6:44 PM
Subject: Re: Program Challenge (was Re: z80 timing... 6502 timing)
>>
>> On Mon, 19 Apr 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote:
>>
>> > My best guess would be that off-the-shelf systems will be what folks
use to
>> > program for this "challenge" if anyone does it. There were so few
tools for
>> > homebrew or single-board 6502 systems that I doubt anyone with other
than an
>> > Apple or an OSI will be interested. OTOH, it will be someone running
CP/M
>> > or the like on a Z-80 who enters on the Z-80 side.
>>
>> That's a highly ignorant statement. There were plenty of other 6502
based
>> machines, including the Commodore 64, VIC-20, the various Atari 800
>> models.
It's an ignorant statement, perhaps, as my kids had all these "video toys"
at one time or another, but not made from total ignorance. I intentionally
have ingnored them because they had integrated video, which makes it less
than trivial to assess whether you're getting all the available bandwidth
and also makes it unlikely you'll find a compatible Z-80. Remember, it was
the goal at the outset to make a comparison of the two processors
unencumbered by "special purpose" features.
>Don't forget the BBC micro either. IMHO it was one of the best 6502
>systems ever (although it lacked internal expansion slots, which was a
>pity). The BASIC was the second-best I have ever used (beaten only by
>BASIC-09), and it has a built-in 6502 assembler.
>
>Now there's a thought. There was an option for the BBC micro that was a
>Z80 second processor (it's not that rare either), clocked at 4MHz (IIRC).
>The BBC's 6502 clocks at 2MHz most of the time, slowed down to 1MHz for
>some I/O. Now you can compare the Z80 and 6502's speeds in the same
>machine, simultaneously.
This might be an excellent system on which to make a real comparison. It
might even be one on which to run that matrix multiplication problem I
proposed last week. I thought that would be good because it would require
the machines to keep running for a week or two. It also would really show
the difference in terms of time since it's such a big job. Of course mass
storage would be a requirement for that.
Commodore also made a dual processor machine, didn't they? A Commodore-128,
I seem to recall . . . The power supply from the thing now powers a nicad
charger . . .
Dick
>-tony
>
Received on Mon Apr 19 1999 - 20:19:46 BST