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

[Kip Koon]

Frank,
Here, Here!  I concur!  I agree!  Let's Do it!  Let's finally go beyond
being the Coco 3 and really create The Great & Mighty Coco Everything
Edition.  From what little I understand about FPGAs, you guys can make them
do anything as long as there are more gates to commandeer!  :)
Kip

-----Original Message-----
From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On
Behalf Of Frank Swygert
Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2013 12:00 PM
To: coco at maltedmedia.com
Subject: Re: [Coco] No more dream ports (Was:Wolfenstein 3-D on a 4.77mhz
8088? So, 6809 port, anyone?)

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


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