[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] Is this a discussion about a new Coco?

Tue Apr 19 00:28:56 EDT 2005

Mr. Diffendaffer:

I think the root of this problem is that you are no longer still 
interested in your Coco.  That would explain why you seem to be bashing 
Cloud-9's efforts to create some new and exciting things for the Coco 
for those of us who are still in love.  The Coco will never be as fast 
or do as many things as a PC.  You can buy a new e-machines PC for the 
same cost that Cloud-9 is charging for the Superboard.  That's not the 
point and I don't think you will ever see this point.  I know how many 
hundreds of hours Mark and Boisy have put into this board, and I know 
they are doing it right, a step at a time.  It's a hobby machine, and 
one that most of us on this list still love to play with and discuss.

If I wrote a software game for the Coco this year, and spent hundreds of 
hours perfecting it, and planned to sell it for $30, and someone like 
you started bashing my efforts as a waste of time, I would get pretty 
pissed off.  I know it might only sell a hundred copies.  I'd probably 
lose money on the deal.  Mark and Boisy are trying to do something 
similar with the Superboard, but they hope to make a small profit, at 
least on the actual hardware.  There's no way that selling 100 
Superboards at $300 will make them rich, or pay for their development 
time.  But they have created something new for the Coco that many of us 
are very anxiously waiting for.

Maybe you would take them up on their challenge.  Go ahead and make a 
board for the Coco that will do the same things.  You have the 
self-expressed expertise to do this easily, and the sources of parts to 
do it cheaply.  I will buy your first board as long as it does the same 
things that the Superboard will do, and as long as you will promise to 
be around to support it.  And if I buy your board #00001, then I'm sure 
others will follow, and you will make a nice pile of money because your 
profit on each board will be at least $200 ($300 - your cost of $100).

When can I see board #00001 from you?  If you don't think that it would 
be worth your time to produce this item, then please stop your tirade 
against Cloud-9.  I hope that you are just a distant Coco user and not a 
troll, because the Coco world could use someone of your talent to 
supplement the efforts of Cloud-9, and others still trying to make a 
contribution to the Coco cause.

Thanks for listening.

coco-Steve

James Diffendaffer wrote:

>--- In ColorComputer at yahoogroups.com, Mark Marlette <mark at c...> wrote:
>  
>
>>At 05:45 PM 4/18/2005, you wrote:
>>
>>James DifferentDander, (Too many James D's here)
>>    
>>
>
>Gee, imagine that... someone making fun of my name.  Guess I'm back in
>the 4th grade.  I gotta hand it too you though... hadn't heard that
>one before.
>
> 
>  
>
>>The chip is Connect One's solution, go educate yourself and tell
>>    
>>
>them that 
>  
>
>>their chip price is too high and that you can do it cheaper. They will 
>>laugh as I am. Go for it big talker.
>>    
>>
>
>
>Just based on a search on google perhaps you should look here... and
>this was the first web page I clicked on:
>http://www.beyondlogic.org/etherip/ip.htm
>
>You can find code for microcontrollers to do some this on manufacturer
>web sites.  I belive that includes Motorola and Atmel.  The 68HC08 or
>68HC11 and a cheap chip can do the same thing for much less.
>
>  
>
>> Our SuperIDE is more than just an 
>>IDE device. I know you will say WOW, flash too! Again you have done
>>    
>>
>nothing 
>
>Doesn't Digikey sell that Flash memory for under $3 in single quantity
>of their most expensive part?  Under $1.50 for a cheaper one?  People
>don't believe me?  Go to digikey and search on "flash 64Kx8 parallel
>dip".  It will bring up the 512K parts.  BTW, 4MB parts can be had
>under $3 single quantity.
>http://www.digikey.com/
>
>You want me to look for the clock chip too?
>As far as upgrade from clockless to clocked version the chip, battery
>and it's socket probably justify the difference in cost.
>
>The "expansion bus"?  That probably just passes though the CoCo bus...
>adds separate Read/Write lines and passes through a signal or two for
>easier address decoding.  That would be what?  The first 8 bits of the
>address anded together?  Or perhaps a couple fully decoded address
>ranges?  Connectors do cost money... and that's a... 20pin(?)
>connector so that's a couple extra bucks?
>
>Bank switching Flash memory involves a writable latch to switch the
>high address lines and you latch the output from the DIP on Reset to
>set the default page.  You can find a simple design to bank memory
>(1MB or RAM) off a Z80.  It just involves address decoding plus two
>TTL parts and is on the web.  The same would work here but add a chip
> with it's output enabled during reset to set the default from the DIP
>switches.
>
>Writing to flash... on the old Intel chips it involved timing loops,
>erasing the entire device and if you mess up the device was destroyed.  
>Now it usually involves reading to see if the device is ready instead
>of timing loops and you can erase in blocks.  Programming algorythems
>vary by manufacturer but it usually involves a pattern of writes to
>the device to trigger the write mode, erase mode or whatever.  The
>data books have the algorythem to program the chip, all a programmer
>has to do is duplicate it in machine specific code.
>
>One thing that could be very expensive is the plastic cartrige.  If
>they have a die made to do that... well... we were quoted $10000 just
>for a small die and that was in 1998.  Somehow I don't think they are
>paying for a die unless they found someone willing to do it cheaper.
>
>FWIW, since leaving the Amiga market I've been consulting as a
>software engineer for over 20 years including embedded systems.  
>
>I'm not blowing smoke and I'm not just Trolling.
>There is just nothing that special about your IDE interface for me to
>think it's worth that kind of money.  But then my CoCo sits in a
>storage unit most of the time.  Given the alternatives though I can
>see why you outsell your competition.  
>
>
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>
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