> > >For a real word processing you need 80x24 upper/lower case display,
> > > This would take 2K of memory space (if memory-mapped), and therefore
> > > could easily be accommodated by an 8 bit processor.
> > But 80 x 24 display cards are hard to find, but a 80x24? terminal
> For waht machine? 80*24 display cards were _very_ common for the Apple
> ][. I've seen them for the CoCo, and for the Tatung Einstein. I've seen a
> design for one for the C64. I wouldn't be suprised if they existed for many
> other 8 bit machines too.
There have been 80 column cards even for ZX81s ...
> > most likely would be used? I wonder if you can get a nice OS/9
> > machine still?
> Well, I am not sure the 6809 is still in production. But I would guess
> OS-9 68K boxes still exist, If not, why not make one?
Now, OS/9 even reached the PowerPC by now. Alt least a
company in a small town south of Munich offers boards
and OS/9.
http://www.kanis.de/home/os9/i_os9.htm
Beside that, there are still new 6809 designs around and
of course an awfull lot of 68Ks.
> > >>full keyboard (compared to the membrane keyboards of some computers)
> > > That has _nothing_ to do with the processor bus width!
> > But 99% of all 8 bit machines in the 1980's were marketed as
> > game machines.
> What's that got to do with anything. Maybe many of the 8 bit machines
> sold to home users had poor keyboards (I would agree with that). This
> does not mean an 8 bit machine can't have a good keyboard.
Also we need to define 'many' in here ... if we go for sheer numbers
during the whole 80s, then Homecomputers (not game systems) might be
the winners. but if we go vor value or number of meodels, then non
home/game systems where way ahead. also, where do you put a C64 used
as the main system for a small company? And there have been an awful
lot of professional applications for C64s - I never liked the machine,
it's one of the least desireable designs, nonetheless, it deserves
some honor.
ALso, arn't most PCs sold today home computers? Just because they
have a better display and keyboard (well, sometimes) they still
fit the same nice as a C64 - or at least an Apple II - did 15 years
ago.
> > > Heving driven Daisywheel printers and a Sanders 12/7 Varioprinter (a
> > > multi-pass dot-matrix printer that could do _very_ near letter quality
> > > output) from 8 bit machines, I don't see the problem either.
> > I never had the money for a good printer at that time.
> Again, what you could afford back then and what was possible are 2
> totally different things...
To me there's a prety simple way to determinate what's a good, up
to date configuration. it's exactly what you'll get for ~3500 Mark
(1750 Euro). It's been a fix thing since about 1975. Back then you
got an Apple II, 16 K, a cassette drive and a simple green screen.
Today it's a 2.x GHz, 256 Meg PC with a niche 17" CRT a scanner and
a colour printer.
Still the same thing, relative to it's time.
Gruss
H.
--
VCF Europa 4.0 am 03./04. Mai 2003 in Muenchen
http://www.vcfe.org/
Received on Tue Nov 26 2002 - 10:18:00 GMT