Monitor for iSBC 8024 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

29 Oct 2000

From: Dave McGuire &lt;mcguire(a)neurotica.com&gt;

...
   Of course, but now it's *only* doing that,
mainstream-wise.  I was
attempting to point out the shift in role from being a mainstream
general-purpose processor to being one used almost entirely for
embedded applications. 

It was the rare and maybe only thing Zilog did right and that was
persuing
the embedded market back around 84-86 timeframe.  That was the
breakpoint for PCs taking over and Z80 based systems and their like
starting to loose influence.  that and the Z8 business kept them going.
The next big break was the Hitachi licensed 64180 (z180) giving the
embedded designer a MMU, sio, DMA on chip and it was a little
faster.

I see things like that as important to the evolution of  the
microprocessor
market and the chips.  The same forces would also keep the 6502 in
the running.

Allison