Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!ames!amdahl!uunet!mcvax!unido!nixpbe!ugun21!josef
From: josef@ugun21.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: Re: More on build your own box (LONG)
Message-ID: <19900004@ugun21>
Date: 28 Nov 88 08:20:00 GMT
References: <7648@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Lines: 50
Nf-ID: #R:pasteur.Berkeley.EDU:-764800:ugun21:19900004:000:1866
Nf-From: ugun21.UUCP!josef    Nov 28 09:20:00 1988



In his response, Chris Ford (ford@stout.UUCP ) writes:
> I'm just fishing for support for a low-end (though certainly
> non-toy) board.

I support this idea: I want an entry into the NS32k world and,
for myself, would live with an '016 ('couse I already got one on a
Multibus (ugh!) board). As all the 32k CPUs are SW-comaptible,
I don't care.

Just to add my $0.02:
This is what I envision:
1.) A single board computer comprised of
    a) a CPU block with 32016 CPU, '081 FPU, '082 MMU, '203 DMAC
       (I might go for a hight CPU if I can get one)
    b) a "local resources" block with EPROM, SRAM (23Kx16), UART,
       PIO etc
    c) main memory 4/16MByte dynamic RAM with parity(?)
    d) AT expansion slots.
    e) on-board periph's: graphics (Hitachi ACRTC?), bulk storage
       (SCSI?), Comm (Ethernet?)
2.) Software written in MODULA-2, THE language for the NS32K

I'm a "building block" type, I love the modular approach to HW and
SW.
I would build the motherboard with steps a) and b) first, then d), c) and e).
This would allow me to play with it, test it at an early stage.
As far as the SW is concerned, I would even think of re-writing a UNIX
(V7??) from scratch in M-2 (Lion's source is some 10,000 lines of code)

Apart from airing my ideas, what I want to express is that I personally
don't want to pay multi-k $$ for a high-end system that I will not use
professionally.
All I want is an entry-level systemI can play with.

Running the risk of dividing the world:
Why not go for two systems: a low-power/low-cost and a high-power/high-cost
or vote!

		Josef Moellers

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