[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] History Bytes

[Alex Evans]

On Jan 10, 2005, at 12:40 PM, jdaggett at gate.net wrote:

> The main hurdle of a Coco on a SoC is not totally limited to the 
> ROM(s). One must
> also consider that the instruction set of the MC6809 is IP of 
> Motorola. The advanced
> instructions of the HD6309 are also IP of Hitachi.

Since Hitachi built the 6309 under license from Motorola, a license 
which Hitachi violated with the advanced features of the 6309.  As a 
result, officially those advanced instructions do not exist.  If 
Hitachi were to try to enforce any IP claims on those extentions they 
would be risking getting themselves into legal trouble with Motorola.  
In addition you can get around the IP aspect of the instruction set 
simply by using different names for the instructions.  Look at some of 
the chips produced by Zilog, Cyrix, and AMD which have not been 
produced under license from Intel.

-- 
Theodore (Alex) Evans | 2B v ~2B = ?