[Color Computer] Re: [Coco] CoCo video?

[KnudsenMJ at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/2/06 3:37:13 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
msmcdoug at iinet.net.au writes:

>However, this talk about expanding the base design baffles me? When  talking 
>about an 'expansion interface' with extra processing grunt to  'offload' to 
>etc - when does it stop being a CoCo? Taking it to a  silly extreme to make 
a 
>point, how is your proposal any different from  connecting a PC via the 
>serial port on the CoCo and calling *that* the  'expansion interface'? When 
>you start adding processors you're really  not running a 'CoCo' any more - 
>regardless of how they're connected to  the main unit. WHat's the point in 
>adding an enhanced GIME with extra  video modes? I thought the whole idea 
was 
>to preserve the CoCo we all  know and love?!?

I pretty much agree.  Another analogy would be that the Coco becomes a  
"smart terminal" or an "X terminal" -- not the right feel.
 
However, I did like Chris Burke's idea of the "Rocket" -- a 68008 CPU card  
that plugged into the 6809 socket and took over the Coco.  You were still  
running most of the Coco hardware.  But, given how good the CPU is and how  skimpy 
the peripherals built in are, maybe that's backwards.
 
What's best IMHO would be to replace the 6809 and RAM with one of those  ASIC 
6809s that runs 6809/6309 binary code, only 4x to 8x faster.  Then  you'd 
have something that executes all our current software, only faster.   With a 
switch to slow it down for games :-)
--Mike K.