Differences between version 22 and revision by previous author of Acorn.
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| Newer page: | version 22 | Last edited on Monday, May 2, 2005 10:39:51 am | by JohnMcPherson | Revert |
| Older page: | version 21 | Last edited on Sunday, November 9, 2003 5:15:27 pm | by AristotlePagaltzis | Revert |
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@
!!!Mounting Tension: [BBC]
The Acorn [BBC] Model B appeared in 1981. Because they were British, schools in the UK used the [BBC] computers. Some schools in NewZealand followed suit. The [BBC] Model B also had a 6502 processor. Its builtin [BASIC] dialect had some impressive language features; procedural programming with parameter passing and local variable scopes remained foreign to other microcomputers for a long time. The modularity of its operating system and its use of interrupts were far ahead of the curve as well. There was a MOS for all the basic functions like video graphics, buffered keyboard input, vectored interrupts, buffered sound. 16k ROMs were available to accomodate networking routines and many different programming languages ([BASIC], LOGO, [Pascal], [Forth], you name it).
-The Electron was a later, smaller brother of the BBC built to attack the Sinclair Z80 and early Commodore microcomputers. It
plugged into the television, had 16 KB of memory, and ran [BASIC] in [ROM]. You could load programs from cassette tape via a normal audio tape deck, or you could type them in. A floppy disk, even a harddrive, were available as insanely expensive expansion modules. The [CPU] was a 6502B, just slightly different from what powered the hugely successful [Commodore64] home computer. Unfortunately, neither graphics nor sound capabilities could hold a candle to those of the [Commodore64].
+!!Election
+
The Electron was a later, smaller brother of the BBC built to attack the Sinclair Z80 and early Commodore microcomputers. This HomeComputer
plugged into the television, had 16 KB of memory, and ran [BASIC] in [ROM]. You could load programs from cassette tape via a normal audio tape deck, or you could type them in. A floppy disk, even a harddrive, were available as insanely expensive expansion modules. The [CPU] was a 6502B, just slightly different from what powered the hugely successful [Commodore64] home computer. Unfortunately, neither graphics nor sound capabilities could hold a candle to those of the [Commodore64].
''I had one of those.. *sigh* memories..'' --AristotlePagaltzis
In both computers, the graphics and sound hardware were well accessible with powerful __plot__ and __envelope__ commands, respectively (though there was little to access in the Electron). The envelope command took 14 parameters that controlled a full [ADSR] synthesizer.
@@ -33,9 +34,9 @@
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!!!Falling Action: RiscPC
-An attempt to counter the rising popularity of the then so-called "[IBM] compatibles" was called __RiscPC__. These too ran RiscOS and had a novel system design consisting of modules, ie a box in the same design as the computer's case that contains the desired extension and plugs into the computer's [Bus] with a connector. To update or expand the hardware, you didn't have to open the case, you just stacked modules, much the way you'd "update" your !
HiFi stereo.
+An attempt to counter the rising popularity of the then so-called "[IBM] compatibles" was called __RiscPC__. These too ran RiscOS and had a novel system design consisting of modules, ie a box in the same design as the computer's case that contains the desired extension and plugs into the computer's [Bus] with a connector. To update or expand the hardware, you didn't have to open the case, you just stacked modules, much the way you'd "update" your ~
HiFi stereo.
While [Acorn] equipped their RiscPC started with the ARM610 (ARM6 core) and then the ARM710 (ARM7 core), later RiscPC clones such as those manufactured by Castle featured [StrongARM] processors.
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