25 Jun
2000
25 Jun
'00
9:48 a.m.
Based on what the current computer industry knows
about building
computers,
would it be possible to build a better Z80 based
computer today, using the
same chips that the builders in, say, 1979 had available?
I heard someone say that the manufacturers did the best they could with
what
they had to work with "back then," and I
started to wonder if we could do
it
better today. Has our understanding of how it all
works improved enough to
do it better now, using the same chips, etc.?
You can buy a brand-spanking-new IMSAI 8080 that has 1 meg
of bank-switched static RAM and a 20mHz Z-80 (actually Z-280?)
processor for under US$1000. I'd say that qualifies for an
excellent "old" new computer.
-dq