z80 timing... 6502 timing - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

21 Apr 1999

The TI computers in general were a bit off center in a number of ways.  They
certainly had potential which was under utilized, I suspect, because of a
strange way of interfacing to their video subsystem.  Lacking an OS and the
usual assortment of non-game (carefully not using words like "serious" or
"real-world" or . . .) software applications was a bit of a hindrance,
though.

I ws never interested in the TI stuff for my own use, as it didn't offer
anything I didn't already have with other systems.  I looked into their 9980
(single chipper) for a while.  It turned out not to be much of an
improvement over the 8748 for which I'd already done all the requisite
suffering, so that's what I used.

Dick

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Gregory &lt;gregorym(a)cadvision.com&gt;
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
&lt;classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu&gt;
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 8:52 PM
Subject: Re: z80 timing... 6502 timing

...
 Now I know that many people didn't consider it a
reasonable computer, but
the TMS-9900 did make a memorable appearance in the TI-99/4/4A of blessed
memory - 16K if I recall correctly. Once you added a PEB, RS-232 card, 32 K
memory card, 2 HH DS/SD floppies and an Extended Basic cartidge, it was a
fine computer.

So bite your tongue.

Cheers,
Mark "They'll pry my TI out of my cold, dead hands" Gregory

At 02:16 PM 4/21/99 -0600, you wrote:
>For the longest time, the TMS 9900 didn't appear in anything one could
>consider a reasonable computer.  There was one model I saw at a colleagues
>home which had expansion capability, but he often complained that cards for
...
 >interesting applications, like mass storage, etc,
were not available.  I
>didn't pursue it and so I believe(d) it to be true.  I saw one ad for an
>SC/MP, in '77, but that one was a homebrewed model.  Other than that, it
was
...
 >not of much interest here.  Was that not the case
in Germany?  The processor
...
 >was still in National's data book, but I really
wasn't then and am not now
>of any operating system or application software for it.    I don't believe
I
...
 >ever saw a real SC/MP based computer.
>
>Dick
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Hans Franke &lt;Hans.Franke(a)mch20.sbs.de&gt;
>To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
&gt;&lt;classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu&gt;
>Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 2:10 PM
>Subject: Re: z80 timing... 6502 timing
>
>
>>> I suppose that's true, Hans, BUT, in1982,  there were few other
>processors
>>> than the 6502 and Z-80 in popular use, with the exception of the 8080A
>and
>>> the 8085, of course.  The majority of home computers, though, used one
of
...
 >>> these two, at that time.  Several years
later, we found the 6510 and 6809
...
 >in
>>> commercially interesting applications, but not for as long a period as
>the
>>> Z-80 and 6502.  These two had a life of nearly ten years before the
>IBM-PC
>>> and its clones wrenched the home computer market from their grasp.
>>
>>in 1982, the 9900 was also big and beasts like SC/MP where still on
>>the run (and 680xx, 808x and 160xx comming up), but you're right if
>>you want to pich the two mayor player in the SOHO market.
>>
>>But still, a general measurement includes them.
>>
>>Gruss
>>H.
>>
>>--
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>
>
> 