Tony wrote: > The hardware issues are not going to be trivial (for all aspects of the > design) but the *real* difficulty is going to be finding people to write > both the firmware (logic chips) and drivers. That will be the > make/break.
Yes that is exactly the problem, each hardware upgrade - Goldcard, QXL card through to Q60 has been an attempt at a 'complete' and final computer on a board. The only one that has not been was the Aurora "motherboard". Even then as far as I understand it was part of a vision of a complete solution that seems to have been envisaged as a series of boards. Each complete solution has depended on the engagement of a very few key individuals without whom all progress stops. Without hardware development QL computing will not survive much longer except for retro enthusiasts. Clearly the cost of upgrading is important to many current users as the Qx0 series has not been taken up generally with the majority of hardware users running system designed in the 1980s or early 1990s. As a result development of the Qx0 series seems to have stopped as well, presumably the market is too small to make it worthwhile developing add ons for the Qx0 and then there is the SMSQ/E licence issue there as well. If someone is thinking about developing the hardware further, recognising price constraints and the diverse needs of the community would it be possible to consider a modular process of upgrades. If it were possible for example: to add a memory board using one of the commercially available memory simms ( boards could be sold with or without simms) to an Aurora system as an additional board on the back plane. to add a processor board to the backplane on an aurora setup with say a gold card whereby the new processor takes over from the 68000 - perhaps that chip is removed from the gold card. to add the memory and processor boards as 2 in line modular upgrades to a black box QL to add an ISA graphics board to the Qx0 to improve graphics caompatibility with flat screens. to add a USB board to the Aurora/Qubide/SGoldCard system etc Taking a modular approach to make each board itself simpler might make it easier to do the work in small chunks, could engage more of the existing community on different projects, make the work for a specific smaller upgrade easier, perphaps allow the use of existing commercially available boards, and make upgrading more affordable for those who cannot fork out £300-400 all at once. I do realise that this may all be pie in the sky as I know nothing about hardware development. As a final thought Quanta could stimulate this by making a prize (£XXXXs X-prize) for the first team to say design and make a prototype processor upgrade add on board or USB driver or whatever, Duncan _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
