rkl@and.cs.liv.ac.uk (02/06/91)
In article <1210@culhua.prg.ox.ac.uk>, as@prg.ox.ac.uk (Andrew Stevens) writes: > >> 1) No *proper* usage of MEMC's dynamic paging facilities >> 2) No pre-emptive context switching >> 3) No virtual memory >> 4) No POSIX compliance >> 5) A WIMP without an X interface mechanism >> 6) Hacked up in ARM code - resulting in multiple >> obscure bugs. How many UNIX boxes have to be hard reset >> at least twice in every serious software development >> session? - the Arch. does. It sounds like you're after a UNIX workstation and NOT an Archimedes. If all these features were implemented, then we wouldn't have something as cheap as an A3000 to play with and the base market would be a hell of a lot smaller. >> 7) Included all sorts of irrelevant trash in ROM (sound generators >> etc.) when they should of concentrated on a minimal >> kernel providing core facilities like comms, i/o >> redirection, pipes, vmem, device transparency, etc. "Irrelevant trash" - sound generators are *irrelevant* ??? Every UNIX workstation I've seen (no, I haven't had access to a NeXT machine !) just has a crap monotonic beep that is either incredibly difficult or impossible to even change its pitch in software. >> 8) A flawed reasoning that native mode BBC semi-compatibility >> was a good idea - it wasn't. Better to write a half >> decent OS then put a fast beeb emulator on top if >> you want to retain the technophobic teacher market. I personally don't mind the backwards compatibility - and I'm sure it made the BBC emulator a hell of a lot easier to write :-) >> 9) Writing a slow and inefficient PC Emulator as an afterthought >> rather than designing in an optional h/ware 80x86 co-proc. >> from the start (what is the most ubiquitous architecture >> around?) If you want MS-DROSS, then you might as well buy a Tackstrad (oops Amstrad). I don't give a damn about MS-DOS because it's just terrible and 99% of applications on it are downright sick-inducing (Borland's compilers are just about the only exception and the only thing missing from the Archimedes software repertoire as far as I'm concerned). >> As a result ever loyal Acorn customers have the machines with >>the best (and fastest) h/ware pound for pound on the market, but with >>the worst s/ware (and a marketing effort which requires temporary >>suspension of belief in order to appreciate the sheer extent of it's >>ineffectiveness.) Worst software ?? Remember that the Archimedes should be compared with PC's running MS-DOS 4/Windows 3 and Macs running MultiFinder/System 6.0.7. As far as I'm concerned, the Archimedes beats both hands down. > The Arch is most > certainly *not* the fastest *hardware* pound for pound. Cheapo > 386's and 486's are somewhat better and still steadily > falling in price. Ahem ! Clearly false statements on both counts ! The A3000 offers far better price/performance than ANY 386 (1500-2000 pounds) or 486 (3000 pounds upwards). 386's and 486's use Intel's JOKES of kludge chips that need ultra-tacky extended memory techniques to access more than 640K under MS-DOS. > Cheap SPARCstation clones knock it into a cocked hat, Cheap ? CHEAP ?!! The cheapest SPARCstations are around 4000 pounds (I think). >> However despite all this (I could mention the total lack of >>technical assistnce on the other end of Acorn's phone line(s), the >>idiocy of their attempts at corporate mega-secrecy about updates to >>RiscOS, the lack of a unified approach to RiscOS/UNIX, What sort of technical assistance ? Everything I need for programming comes from the PRMs, although there are some things RISC OS *does* like to keep to itself (like how do you find out who's claimed a vector ?). I would like an official release date of RISC OS 3 though, but having seen the complete shambles Apple has got itself into with System 7 (which still sounds inferior to RISC OS 2 :-) ), maybe it wouldn't be wise to pre-announce in the cavalier way Apple do... > If you ever owned an Atari you'd appreciate the virtue of companies that > don't vapourware. Amazing all the things they (at one time or > another) announced. Atari are just a bunch of hopeless cowboys. The machines fall apart within 6 months due to poor construction and the OS/software is pretty primitive (just about the only 16 or 32 bit micro that doesn't have *some* sort of multi-tasking supplied as standard). >> the failure >>to realise the benefits of selling *every* Arch. with a hard disk, This would be great, but the PC world doesn't do it either. Knowing Acorn pricing policy w.r.t. hard disks, the extra cost would kill the sales of the A3000. Richard K. Lloyd, *** This is a MicroVAX II running VAX/VMS V5.4-1 *** Computer Science Dept., * JANET : RKL@UK.AC.LIV.CS.AND * Liverpool University, * Internet : RKL%and.cs.liv.ac.uk@cunyvm.cuny.edu * Merseyside, England, **************************************************** Great Britain. Q: "What's the world's fastest home micro ?" L69 3BX A: "The Archimedes A3000. 4 MIPS for under 800 pounds."