Optron #16 14 августа 1998

Железо

Opinion - go on living like you can not upgrade or knocking on our doors.

          Further so you can not live

                   or

      Upgrade knocking at our door

(C) Rasp


               Preface


  I want to share with you, dear readers, their arguments about 
the present and Spectrum tomorrow. Basically I want to touch on 
the technical side of this question. The analytical side (talk

type "... behold, they say, the Spectrum is now needed
so some people, they do to him
then something ...") is "sucked" by many people
to me, and I will not touch.



  So what we have today?
We have a computer based on the beautiful
eight-processor Z80. PC
all good: it can collect anyone who
know which side to hold on to the soldering iron, set up - 
anyone who is friends with an oscilloscope, an assembler, 
laconic zilogovskogo, I've never met. 

  But many are no longer satisfied with 128K,
3.5MHz, 6.75K VRAM ... Here zhelezyachniki and
start to invent all sorts of bells and whistles:
256K, 512K, 1M ...; Covox'y, Hires'y ...;
Turbo, etc, etc.

  Programmers also do not stand still: today, the program 
increased their productivity by several times compared with 
programs in 1986, those same programmers able to increase the 
color resolution screen Spectrum of up to eight colors per 
pixel, each point of its color; psevdomnogozadachnost already 
been invented. 

  But all this - extensive methods development. Memory paging 
is undoubtedly a good thing, but within reasonable limits. 
"Communication" of the processor with memory over 64K through 
the windows in the 16K is convenient for storing the data in 
the memory, but it is not an ideal solution for writing 
programs of large size. Buildup clock frequency - is not perfect

option: the processor is not rubber, and
RU5 / 7 with all the strapping, too - how many
please megahertz is not overclocking. Passive
audio device, such as Covox'a - also not
ideal solution. Would be in the Spectrum DMA
- Then maybe it would be easier: Sound Blaster, for example, 
would have stuck a lot easier. With the same graphics in 
general complete stagnation. 

  So what can we do? Many are no longer satisfied with today's 
architecture Spectrum, programmers work closely to 128K, at 
3.5MHz not get very far, musicians 44KHz Bring, artists, at 
least, - 320x200. 

  Attempt to provide the user with the majority of these 
facilities was Computer "Sprinter". But, in my opinion, it is

- The same extensive approach. Kompyuter
based, almost at the same Z80 and
this is not a permission problem.

  And now, after all these meditations on the mind
comes one word, forcing the thrill pisishnikov and defiant 
ironic smile at spektrumistov: Upgrade! Yes, yes,

upgrade. BUT - not scanty upgrade, like more memory and a full, 
major platform upgrade - replacing a more powerful processor, 
together with full processing architecture. And the candidate 
already has: Z380 - 32-bit processor with a bunch of useful 
"bells and whistles." By the way, according to codes of 
commands is compatible with the Z80, and even has a mode of 
Z80. And do not be afraid upgrade - once in sixteen years an 
upgrade not terrible, terrible congestion on the platform

a technical level, leading to stagnation.

  It would be naive to believe that I am the first
thought of such utopian ideas. No
Of course - and for me to put forward ideas
upgrade the Spectrum. Why, only they
forgotten because of statements like "this will be
no longer the Spectrum. I dare to recall that
Spectrum - a 128K, a proprietary chip
ULA, a tape recorder or an integrated mikrodrayv
drive. All of these Pentagon, Scorpion,
Pros, ATM, Sprinters are also not
Spectrum!

  We now have, in my opinion, has developed a revolutionary 
situation: the leaders do not want to, but the lower classes 
can not. Leaders do not want to expand, and lower classes can 
no longer work for such a platform - they are few of the 
possibilities gives the Z80. Only strong enough

push.

  You can imagine the development of the Spectrum as
road stretching into the distance, and us, sinkleristov as 
people lined up going down this road. And now, someone had red 
paint hell on the road. The first two or three scared

to cross that line - purely psychological fear. And behind 
pushing and pushing. Front already and can not resist, and

can not go further - to be afraid to cross the
line. Sooner or later it will end - or
will break all the bones themselves, or go
further.

  Personally, I see no objective reasons that would interfere 
with design and create a new Spectrum based on Z380. Not

need to be afraid of something new and better. If the child is 
afraid to stand on feet, he would all his life crawling on all 
fours. Do not be afraid that it will not software, or that no 
one will buy this computer. If Clive Sinclair feared

that his ZX Spectrum software will not - then you would now
this article have not read. Software will, he had already
there - think about the mode of Z80 in the three-hundredth! 
First, a couple of months to urge toys 36MHz, and then the 
software for new opportunities will be. 

  Well, because, gentlemen spektrumisty, we need
us a new Spectrum able to captivate us
all still a good dozen years?



                   P.S.


  On the Z380 processor can read in the newspaper editions 6-25 
Nicron. This information also available at the original site of 
the company Zilog: www.zilog.com. By the way, judging from the 
information on this site, of firm is in Lviv: phone 59-39-14.




                  P.P.S.


  If any of the readers wish to discuss the topic further 
development of the Spectrum, then you can contact me. 
Koordinaty listed in the page About.