kim@mcrware.UUCP (Kim Kempf) (11/27/90)
I just heard on CNBC this morning that Motorola has "officially" announced
the availability of the 68040. Details were sketchy, but it seemed to be
coupled with an announcement that the NeXt computer was the first major
customer to get a shipment. Any netland confirmation on any of this?
--
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Kim Kempf, Microware Systems Corporation {sun,uunet}!mcrware!kim
"Opinions! We doan need no stinkink opinions!" kim@microware.comkdarling@hobbes.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) (11/28/90)
kim@mcrware.UUCP (Kim Kempf) (hi Kim!) asked about the 68040: Yes, both Motorola and NeXT put out announcements yesterday. I know that you're also on CIS, so try "go OLT271" and "go OLT297" for more info on this. (Hint#1: Everyday, "go OLT90" to see latest industry news.) (Hint#2: "go newsgrid", then search by keyword "motorola" or "computer".) NeXT has started volume shipments of both the NeXTcube and NeXTstation, both based on the 68040. Steven Jobs said the releases should "put to rest any doubts about the Motorola 68040 being a reality." Motorola said that over 100 companies have been sampling the 68040, and that even tho the 040 is shipping "in volume" now, it is expected to be in short supply for a coupla months while they fill order backlogs from companies such as Apple, Unisys, and NEC. | Kevin Darling | Internet: kdarling@catt.ncsu.edu | OS-9 & | 919-872-7986 anytime | CIS: 76703,4227 Delphi:OS9ugpres | 680x(x)
unhd (Richard G Tomasso) (12/15/90)
Does anybody know if Commodore has talked to Motorola about making an Amiga with the 68040 chip? I read that the Amiga3000 can be upgraded to it right now, is this correct?
jimt@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (Jim Trivellas) (12/18/90)
>Does anybody know if Commodore has talked to Motorola about making an >Amiga with the 68040 chip? >I read that the Amiga3000 can be upgraded to it right now, is this correct? Well I've been trying to find out the same thing for a while now. As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong) there is no '040 upgrade for the A3000 as yet. However there has been some chit-chat about a '040 board that plugs into the A3000's special CPU slot (not the CPU socket, since the '030 is Surface-Mounted Thus the '030 will remain on the motherboard with the '040 taking over). I presume these boards will become readily available once Motorola produces the '040s in large quantities. If you read the comp.sys.amiga newsgroup, you might have seen an article that I posted a while back, regarding the Amiga 3500. At that time, the A3500 was supposed to be in the final development stage, and according to AUI magazine, it was to be based on a 68030 @ 50Mhz. In fact some people wrote to me, stating that they have actually seen it. However, only yesterday I heard that plans for the A3500 had been changed, and indeed it will be based on a 68040 @ 25Mhz. I suppose all this competition from the NeXT systems is having an effect on most computer manufacturers !!! So, we might see something around February 1991. I' eagerly waiting for one myself. (I must stress that these are only rumours, but you never know!!!) Regards, Jim. =============================================================================== Jim Trivellas. Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering. The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia. | | | ***** Telephone: +61 3 3446663 _______*************_______ Email: jimt@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au _|_____*****************_____|_ _|_|_____*****************_____|_|_ | | ________*************________ | | | | ***** | | | The SPID | ===============================================================================
thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan) (12/20/90)
jimt@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (Jim Trivellas) in <6296@munnari.oz.au> writes:
[...]
If you read the comp.sys.amiga newsgroup, you might have seen an
article that I posted a while back, regarding the Amiga 3500. At that
time, the A3500 was supposed to be in the final development stage, and
according to AUI magazine, it was to be based on a 68030 @ 50Mhz. In
fact some people wrote to me, stating that they have actually seen it.
However, only yesterday I heard that plans for the A3500 had been
changed, and indeed it will be based on a 68040 @ 25Mhz. I suppose
all this competition from the NeXT systems is having an effect on most
computer manufacturers !!! So, we might see something around February
1991. I' eagerly waiting for one myself.
[...]
Naw, I think they were a bit shook up when I invited them to show their SVR4
Amiga-based system at a recent Silicon Valley AT&T UNIX Users' Group meeting
(of which I'm the president) the same evening that UNISYS *did* show their
68040 system (and also at which Tyan showed their '486 SVR4)! :-)
I've been promised by CBM they WILL show their '040 SVR4 at one of our meetings
early next year AFTER that machine becomes an officially-announced product.
Actually, one Amiga 3rd-party mfr has shown ONE 68040 card for the A3000 at
a recent Amiga-related show per reports in some of the mags.
And let's just say, in closing, that a 68040 runs circles around '486 machines
I've seen. Let's just hope Motorola hasn't lost a window of opportunity by
the late release of the '040 (compared to the '486); I have to respect Motorola
for waiting until the chip worked correctly.
Here (in Silicon Valley) Intel is known as "First with the Worst", and their
premature release of the '486 again proved that saying. :-)
Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]cag4@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Carson A. Gaspar) (12/21/90)
The A3000 will be able to use a 68040 in it's coprocessor slot. If you have an A3000 at 16 MHz, it can drive the system at 25 MHz, with the '030 disabled. HOWEVER, if you have an A3000 at 25 MHz, the machine can use _both_ the '030/'882 and the '040. We'll just have to wait and see what software appears to make use of this... carson@close.cs.columbia.edu (preferred) | Carson Gaspar cag4@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (forwards to above) | BIX: cgaspar