[Coco] No more dream ports (Was:Wolfenstein 3-D on a 4.77mhz 8088? So, 6809 port, anyone?)

[Frank Swygert]

Well, I don't think it's practical to port anything like this on a true 
CoCo3 (I doubt it could be done on anything less at all!), for reasons 
Steve Bjork and others have already given. But it could be ported (well, 
re-written) to run on an emulator or sped up FPGA machine. There comes a 
point when we have to either accept that certain things will never be 
done on the CoCo or step up to the "next level". An emulator or fast 
FPGA machine isn't really a CoCo, but the next best thing to a "CoCo4" 
(more like 5 or 6, I'd think!!). Those two are probably all we'll ever 
have. The "CoCoX" project looks good, but if it were a dedicated board 
for the current FPGA based machine it would be better.

The only thing I'd like to see is some common development of the FPGA 
and one of the emulators instead of two branches. Since hardware is more 
limiting, develop the FPGA system then emulate any hardware 
enhancements. That would be the wisest path -- then any software written 
for one would run on the other, increasing the software base. That base 
would never be very large, but two buyers is always better than one! It 
would be more productive and encouraging for people writing freeware if 
it was more used and they didn't have to support two different platforms.

-- 
Frank Swygert
Editor - American Motors Cars Magazine
www.amc-mag.com