From: gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block)
Subject: Re: 500 Pound Atari Falcon?  Re: Sydnes is gone?!!
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 17:25:27 GMT

jyoung@nyx.cs.du.edu (Jeff Young) writes:
: People said these are true specs of Falcon! IF 500 Pound price == $500-$700
: in America, Sydnes MUST know new information to make new Amigas!!

Just a few backwards-compatible thoughts.

: first models expected in UK September
: to be shown at London trade show - September 6.

: 68030 @ 16 MHz
: DSP56001
: 	8 channel 16 bit digital DMA, sampling up to 50KHz
: 	4 channel stereo with recording and playback

Anyone notice there's no ST-compatible audio mode here??

And I'm going to be blunt, this is a MultiTos issue:  Atari has three
ways they could have done this:

	1)The OS owns the DSP, they can do what they want, possibly
giving OS routines for people to use it with.  Under this, arbitration
isn't a problem, but you're limited to what the OS will let you do
with it.  That would take care of pre-emptive multitasking well, but
it would be the LEAST capable option.

	2)Nobody owns the DSP.  This is a problem.  Any application
can do what they want with the DSP, and that will be a problem under
pre-emptive multitasking.  This offers a high degree of capabilities
through applications, and is the riskiest.

	3)The correct thing.  The DSP is treated as if it were another
processor, it has its own "OS".  It handles multiple jobs and stuff on
its own.  Not bloody likely on something as primitive as a 56001,
though newer, more advanced DSP's take this route.

	I imagine you'll be seeing #1 in MultiTOS.  Actually, I'd hope
so, because I'd hate to see two preemptive tasks trash each other over
the DSP.

: 262,144 colour palette
: Max res 640x480 16 bit mode (65,536 colours on screen)
: SVGA modes up to 256 colours on screen
: Overscan mode (no black border)
: 15bit overlay mode for video titling etc.

(None of which usable by available ST software, and how are they
handling palette translation?  The ST had a 512-color palette, the STe
a 4096-color palette.  Backwards-compatible screenmodes aren't listed
either.  What will this do to ST/STe software?  Try to fudge the
palette?)

And if the max res is 640x480, SVGA goes at least 800x600...  But
they can say that, as there's no standard SVGA, so there's really
noone to dispute.

"Overscan mode" caught my eye.  It's not selectable?  One set size for
overscan?  And they're sure this is a video machine?

"15-bit overlay".  I'm curious.  That's about it.  Not much mention on
exactly what it's good for...  Can you select any 15-bit value as
being transparent?  (ECS allows any color register to be the
transparent value.  See, that's technology.  ;)

: MultiTOS

Which really says nothing, since nobody REALLY knows what it is.  Just
that it "is like UNIX", which might mean it has 10 different functions
for the same operation and is lots larger than it should be, or that
it'll have lots of bugs for at least 5 versions and 4 releases.  (SYSV
joke)  And it's pre-emptive.

Doesn't really say much about the OS, does it?

: 1.44 MB Floppy

This is redeeming, while...

: IDE port for internal 2.5in 44MB hard drive

Remember this.  Because later on...

: RAM: 1,4 or 14 MB

Anyone noticed how that's supposed to work?  1, 4, or _14_?

: Optional 68882 
: Expansion slot for 386PC emulators or JPEG and MPEG data compressors

(Might as well just say "Expansion slot", because none of the boards
for it exist.  Also notice, there's only one.  Which means, if you
want a 386 and MPEG, you get two Falcons.)

: Ports
: 	SCSI II with DMA

And here's where I get curious.  Why include IDE on the motherboard if
they've got a SCSI II chipset on-board?  I have a feeling that it's
just another DMA port which has been designed to have enough bandwidth
for the information which would be passed by an external SCSI-II.

Also, it may not have FAST or WIDE SCSI-II implementation, not many
do.  Actually, I'd say it's likely it doesn't have fast or wide.

: 	stereo microphone

It'll come with a little cheesy mike.  Great.  Audiophiles will blow
chunks and bolt.  :)  Seriously, it doesn't say whether this will get
any use.  It may be up to the application to handle using the DSP to
get the information in.

: 	audio out

I'd hope so.

: 	monitor

What kind isn't mentioned.  I'd imagine it would be a VGA-style, as
the specs for video look like a wish-me TSENG.

: 	midi

Naturally, it's Atari's trademark.  Let's hope old midi software
doesn't break when trying to access the possibly relocated ports, I
don't imagine they'd be that stupid though.  And lets hope this time
they gave proper ports.  Anyone remember the hacks for an ST to have
MIDI-THRU ports?  I sure do.

: 	hi speed LAN (no they don't say what)

It's been said that it's LAN through the joystick ports...  I HOPE
that's not it.  It also may not have good software support.  I don't
expect it to be AppleTalk-like invisibility, but it may not even be
usable, who knows.

And again, the OS is up in the air with support for that feature.
Sounds like Atari isn't even done with it, to be honest.

: 	Joystick & analog joystick

Again, I'd hope so.  And a question:  How many?  Is it one digital
joystick port and one analog joystick port?  Is it two digital, one
analog, or did they do it right and give you two ports that support
digital and analog?

: 	printer port ``more industry standard''

"more" industry standard?  Either you are, or you're not.  Centronics
or RS-232 compliant would be good, but I wouldn't expect either from
Atari, to be honest, they've got a tradition with that.

: working name was Sparrow

Because it's going to be eaten by the panther.  :)

: 50 machines worldwide many at top software houses in UK (I presume
: 	others are in D :-) )

Wow.  50 machines.  Only 2,999,950 to go until it's where the Amiga
was about a year ago...  ;)

: Atari Germany ``at least one model above and below Falcon030 including
: 	68040''

I think going "one below" would be a bad idea.  Don't remove any more
features from this relatively-featureless machine, to be honest.  Did
you notice you listed more ports and video modes than you did features?

: 	price == 499 UK pounds
: 	new case design next April

Why release it with an ugly case design if they're going to put out a
system with the same features and a new case later?  Sounds kind of
tacky.

Anyways, just thought I'd make that little commentary.  The Falcon has
already lost much of the glory of the original posts with this one.
Not nearly as flashy as was thought, is it?

Greg

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