On-Line #62 03 декабря 1996

Концепции

Mosaic - General Sound and a new video processor for the Speccy.

                            MOSAIC


(C) Eugene Vikent'ev


   Probably everyone knows sinkleristam sense of envy for the 
owners of clever platforms. Looking at computer stores or with 
friends on the ability of the Amiga or PC, the owners of ZX is 
sad that they do not have such great opportunities at home. 
Therefore, many with difficulty or without accumulating "Green" 
on the A1200, or P100, running to the store. But you must admit 
not all have the opportunity to buy a computer for the price of 
$ 1000. Often, many family budgets can not count even at the 
A500 or any 386 PC. But even if they do you have money and 
that's enough, then I do not advise buying these models because 
they do not very fun to work with programs, most of them done 
in the past decade (even if much steeper than Speccy now). 
Therefore, it is clear that if the situation does not improve, 
the Spectrum will live a very long time (and in the next few 
years the situation has certainly not improved). But the 
Spectrum is no longer suit most users and, therefore, 
absolutely necessary improve its performance. Of course one can 
not listen to According OLDMAN'a who sees fit to leave 
everything as is. But he misses one point: any system which is 
in stagnation necessarily destroyed, the question is how long 
stretch agony. The computer system can not develop Only if this 
system is a museum exhibit. Especially ardent fans of Sinclair 
Research Ltd is recommended to disconnect the modem and drive, 
since they too are totally brand lotions. 


   So, in my opinion, the main characteristics of the home 
computer system are the processor speed, quality graphics and 
sound quality. Spectrum characteristics for these indicators 
are known to be below average. On this day you can considered 
solved only the problem of high-quality sound: if XL-DESIGN has 
really done something unprecedented (probably unheard of:)), 
and the sound is really better than on the Amiga, the problem 
is only in the writing of "mountain" of software for this very 
GENERAL SOUND. According to the XL-DESIGN issue resolved: many 
team in St. Petersburg agreed to write music for this board. 


   XL-DESIGN rightly decided that the GS should be
principle Amiga separate microprocessor board, to not load the 
main processor with additional work. But even if core processor 
can do only logic of the program, and synchronization between 
an input / output devices, then all the same performance Z80 is 
not enough for fast execution of algorithms or serious exact 
computation of large quantities. Until recently, practiced 
solutions like turbirovanie processor, or install a faster 
version of Z80. Of course it improves the situation, but not 
much. And then it turns out U.S. firm Zilog fully afloat and 
did not think to pass the production intelsovmestimyh chips, 
but instead released relatively recent processor Z380, which is 
likely to speed ahead of i80386, and the convenience of 
architecture does not compare with Intel's models. Full 
software compatibility with Z80, 32-bit architecture (if you do 
not know, then be sure to read NICRON 6). Perhaps the most 
important advantage this processor - that he and his 
non-segmented linear address space completely removes all the 
problems further expansion of memory: all the ports like # 
DFFD, # 1FFD You can forget, even the drivers do not need 
memory allocation Here are just a # 7FFD have to leave.



   There is only one thing - the video controller. The current 
controller is no good: even with this low resolution can not be 
fully realized color graphics, the majority of programs with 
dynamic graphics is monochrome. The new controller must be a 
separate microprocessor system like the GS. It must stand Z380, 
but not Z80. With this processor can increase screen area more

than 10 times: for besides that Z380 is faster, it will not 
need to control the music co-processor, to compute the data and 
interrogate the keyboard. 


   In the controller of this type should be at least three 
modes: standard screen 256 * 192 16 colors, the text screen 80 
* 25 16 colors (probably you, too, read the ZX-NEWS and noticed 
the mention of this mode, just wondering what edition ZX-NEWS 
had in mind when talking about switching modes using the 
buttons, and If the program ten times a minute passes from one 
mode to another (even if the demonstration program images), 
everything here still need a port, but not in the address space 
of the main processor and graphics processor in space), and 
enhanced graphics mode: 256 colors at a resolution of at least 
320 * 200 ( what is possible to increase the number of modes by 
adding steeper). It may well be that such a controller is 
already for all of the Spectrum-compatible (I mean the 
controller firm PETERS, but it seems there is graphic controls 
the main processor). 


   It seems that Peter went to a leading position on the 
Spectrum of in this country (certainly a hardware-that is 
exactly) and I would like to receive more information from 
first-hand, but publishers of electronic newspapers in Moscow 
for some reason, very few give a place not only interviews, but 
even a simple news from the north of the capital. A regular 
flow of good numbers of the St. Petersburg newspaper ZX-NEWS 
generally ceased. You may think that it closed, but did not 
even sixth number, although the seventh and eighth long time 
ago lie on a Moscow BBS. Is it really so difficult to download 
the latest edition of Fidonet? 

P.S. Would love to see responses to this article, and your
opinion on the matter.

                                            Sincerely, Eugene

                                                401-1148 (21-23)

                                                 14.11.96 19:15