From: torbenm@diku.dk (Torben AEgidius Mogensen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: A7000
Date: 12 Oct 92 11:26:31 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen

jabell@nyx.cs.du.edu (James Bell) writes:

>Does anybody know the release date of the new high powered computer
>from Acorn? I would like a change from my current machine, and these
>Acorn machines do sound real interesting. I don't want to go and buy
>one of these machines which were launched a few months ago when everyone
>round here seems to know about these new power machines due out next
>year. Unlike some people I need the 24 bit colour capability which will
>be available with the VIDC20, and the power of the new RISC processor.
>Some people even suggest 64 bit processing is a possibility with this
>A7000 machine. Looking at your FAQ I see that the technology in the
>current machines has been around for six? years, so it must be time
>for something radical from Acorn. How big is the Acorn company? Do
>they have the resources to produce something so amazing as I have
>heard people say? How do people find out these things?
>I hope that you can help me. I do not want to waste my money.
>Sincerely,
>James.

I sincerely doubt we will see any Acorn computers with 64 bit
processors in the next 4 to 5 years. We may see a 64 bit processor
from ARM Ltd. before this, but it will take several years between
processor launch date and computer release date. Witness the time
between the announcement of the first ARM processor and the launch of
the A310.

There is still a lot of room for improvement before going to 64 bit.
More likely things are:

  1) Floating point hardware. The FPU should be out soon, and future
     high end Acorn computers are likely to have this.

  2) Faster clock. The present 25 MHz are quite slow compared to what
     other processors offer. With the new manufacturers of ARM chips,
     it should be possible to implement ARMs at 30-50 MHz.

  3) More memory. MEMC1a is a serious limiting factor for the memory
     system on Acorns computers. The MEMC used in ARM 610 can address
     much more memory. It also has an advanced protection system,
     which might not be appropriate for RISC OS computers, but I still
     expect a new and better MEMC in the next range of Acorn
     computers.

  4) Graphics. you say that "24 bit colour capability will be
     available with the VIDC20". There is not specific information yet
     about what a new VIDC will contain (or even if there will be one,
     though few people doubt this). It is, however, likely that it
     will have 16 or 32 bit colour, and a full 256 colour palette for
     8bpp modes.

  5) Parallelism. This is not likely to in be the very next range of
     Acorn computers, but future models of RISC OS and RISC ix
     computers may have several processors. Probably in the form of a
     graphics and i/o processor and an application processor. This
     arrangement is similar to the 6502 second processor on the old
     Beeb, which left the original processor to handle screen updates
     and i/o, while the new processor ran the application software.

Finally, I expect that computers containing new VIDCs and MEMCs and
FPUs will be introduced in the hig end of the range, at a price that
far exceeds the price of the present A5000 series. They may even start
as RISC ix machines, as RISC ix may be easier to port to new hardware.
RISC OS would require large modifications to use new MEMCs and VIDCs.
FPUs are less of a problem, as programs using the FPE will require no
modification. But nevertheless, don't expect anything before next
autumn, at the earliest. Acorn has always been slower than the
romours would let you to believe.

	Torben Mogensen (torbenm@diku.dk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn