[Coco] CC-Five (was Re: Pseudo CoCo4???) (LONG)

[Joel Ewy]

Mark McDougall wrote:
> Dan Olson wrote:
>
>   
>> The only thing you can do in this case is to make the hardware run the old 
>> software well enough to be useful without the use of new MMU or expanded 
>> modes.  This is exactly the same as the CoCo3, really.  I own a CoCo2 and 
>> of course can't use any CoCo3 software, get enough new hardware out there 
>> and the new software will follow.  If you don't want to have hardware with 
>> no software support, then the new system would have to be basically the 
>> same as current CoCo hardware, just faster clock speeds, VGA or DVI output 
>> with the current video modes, etc.
>>     
> Agreed. IHMO the *only* way a 'Coco4/5' is going to get any "market
> acceptance" is if there is a legacy mode which runs all coco1/2/3
> software unaltered. This is another reason why attempting to implement a
> stock Coco1/2/3 is a good first step in the whole process.
>   
This is undoubtedly true.  (Though perhaps 90% of existing software
would be good enough?)  But if we had an agreed-upon specification for a
next-gen system, it could be implemented first in software emulation,
which could get out into people's (developers') hands quickly, and the
software pump could be primed.  But since the software emulation could
do just about anything, the spec would have to be driven by a realistic
assessment of what is practical to implement in an HDL on an FPGA.
> Of course there's no reason why it can't have "transparent" enhancements
> such as VGA/DVI output, or user-selectable clock speed for example.
>
> Once we get that in place, we can add features like enhanced graphics
> mode support. I suspect the early adopters will be people like James
> McKay who are actively developing Coco software (16-colour "Glove"
> James?). Next will be people who patch existing coco games to, for
> example, change the ghastly 4-colour palettes! From there it'd be nice
> to see Nitros-9 drivers being updated as well - 80x25 *text* mode
> screens would be nice...
>   
And surely relatively simple things could come along pretty quickly. 
Even I might be capable of cooking up a simple image file viewer using a
new high-color graphics mode, though Roger Taylor would have quite a
head start on me with The Projector.  Another thought is that if a new
CoCo integrated hardware that was available, but optional, on previous
CoCos, it could provide a larger (than current) installed user base for
those hardware features, which provides more motivation for programmers
to support them, while still retaining compatibility and not leaving
late adopters completely out in the cold.  I have an Orch-90CC, but have
barely used it.  I know at least some others have the same piece of
hardware, but probably more don't.  If it was built into the new spec,
it would be almost like a new feature that already had some software
support.  Users who didn't have the Orch-90 before could get one for
'free' by getting the new system, whether in emulation or hardware.  And
users who do already have the hardware might benefit from renewed
interest in programs that support it, even if they aren't yet ready to
get the new system.  (Now who was it preaching about feeping
creaturism?  Oh well.) 

JCE
> Regards,
> Mark
>