tech@usceast.UUCP (Bill Wood) (03/07/87)
First, let me say 'Thank you' for the kind response to my previous posting, and thank you to Neil and Alex for the news. Since the St/020 is still in the design phase and you haven't had a chance to 'finish' the operating system, I would like to propose that it might be time for all of us to have a frank discussion about what we want VS what is commercially wise. First, Please set some more and better standards for the current line of computers. Ex) Please define the printer driver standard. No one knows the 'proper' way to interface a different printer. We can't all afford a laser printer yet since, in my case at least, I have to save for the new St/020. I might be able to swing a 24 pin dot matrix though. But what to do? You might also think about defining a standard for a set of bounds checking registers, something to go next to the blitter that would allow memory protection in a multi-tasking environment. I use the MTC-Shell alot and it is coming along fine as a 'user' environment, however as a 'programmers' environment it fails because it can't guarantee the integrity of the memory image. I would also like to see a new trap defined that would perform all of the standard UNIX system calls on the ST/520. It would be silly to not be able to compile and run non graphic applications on both of these systems transparently. Since it is obvious that you will have to make some changes to the 520 to use it as a 'genius graphic terminal' (who thought that up?) thinking ahead at this time would be wonderful. Concerning the ST/020, THANKS FOR THE GOOD NEWS!!!!! but please don't be so short sighted as to believe that we may only want ONE of them. With two DMA channels and a well written kernel a 128 node hypercube is possible with nothing but cable and off the shelf parts. Think about it! The possibilities are most amazing! Also, please define how we do the same with the 520. I would love to use a SECOND 520 as a text formatter and print buffer. The CPU is down around $300.00 but without a DMA standard and a new device driver what's the point? I have been waiting patiently for the DMA standard to develop. I think it is one of the more exciting aspects of the ST line. I would really LOVE to perform a remote login to a second unit on the DMA buss and have it perform useful work for me. A 520 would be ideal for some jobs that the ST020 would be wasted on and it would seem that a cable, a STANDARD, and a rom are all that I need to do this today. I am willing to do the cable and would be willing to work on the rom but YOU guys have to set the standard. Well this is long winded so I will stop. Thanks for the good news about the product line and please do not consider the above to be demands. It just seems that what the ST line of computers needs more than anything else right now is an integrated set of specifications for a true parallel multiprocessing environment. Here's hoping you will pause to reflect on just how POWERFUL this system could be with the right interconnection scheme. Have a good one! Bill Wood (!usceast!tech)