Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Quest for Refresh
From: Jeff McWilliams <JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
Date: Monday, 28 Sep 1992 20:29:08 EST
 <92270.164344JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET> <66704@cup.portal.com>
Organization: Computing Technology Services, Michigan Technological Univ.

In article <66704@cup.portal.com>, Rick_Michael_Cortese@cup.portal.com says:
>
>I've got nothing against a 16 bit version of the 6502, it's just that I
>don't see it as adding that much enjoyment to the type of computing I do
>now. For instance, I though it was really neat when Steve Cicara added
>a dozen or so 8031's to a clone to act as a math engine, but I didn't run
>out and buy one because I don't have a need for it. I could add a math
>co-processor to my clone for less then $80, but I won't do it because I
>don't run that many math intensive programs. A 65816 with a couple of
>static RAMs & one ROM would be interesting since it would cost less then
>$30, but things like 6 megs of DRAM would only be good for a ramdisk & I
>don't think I'd ever use one that big. James Hague is right, at least in
>this case, when he says "application". If you haven't taken them yet, I
>believe you may take alot of computer graphic programming classes
>requiring 3D imaging etc. If you had a GREAT application for the thingie,
>I'd get a little more excited. Personally, I'm a little dry. 20 years ago
>I new I needed computing power for what eventually became spreadsheets &
>word processors, now I'm a little lost as to what they can do that they
>aren't doing yet. But then you're the EE so you're suppose to figure
>that out right<g>! Even adding a plain vanilla 6502 would more then
>double the processing power of a 800 since it wouldn't have to be
>interupted for screen refresh or do update during VBI, that's enough
>to put a xl in about the same computing class as an AT, but I still
>don't know what I'd do with it.

Hmm, well, what I am basically after, is a machine that I could write
a sort of CAD program on.  I'd like it to be my 8 bit, rather than
going out and buying an ST or something else... mainly because I can't
afford that kind of thing, and because I still my Atari 6502.
But I think to do any sort of decent vector based calculations,
and to store things in memory, it would be ALOT nicer to have a
16 bit C compiler, for memory access reasons, and a faster CPU,
for speed reasons, in the calculations.  Next, I want to print the out-
put at 360dpi on my 24 pin printer, which would hog a lot of memory
composing an entire bit mapped page and then sending it to the printer,
or, loop through the entire drawpage routines several times, each time
contstructing only a part of the page, printing that part, and then
going onto the next section.  That would also be processor intensive.
I am also hungry for a better WP program.  The 65816 has the OPCODES
to do a Textpro like program that can support a text buffer on 64K or
greater with ease.  The main thing that slows Tpro down during
editing time, is that when you insert a char, it has to move the whole
document from the cursor position to the end of the document, down
by one.  The MVP and MVN commands would really help this with the
65816, not to mention the 16 byte registers and stuff, you wouldn't
have to worry about banking, and the hassles of that.

Jeff mcWilliams