Accelerator boards - no future? Bad business?

[Jules Richardson]

On 04/23/2016 10:25 AM, tony duell wrote:
>> Now upgrades within the realm of what would have been possible during a
>> system's lifetime I can get on board with - using period components to
>> implement things such as Ethernet interfaces, accelerators, extra memory etc...
>
> I'm with you on this, generally...
>...
>
> However, how far do you go (I am asking, I am not sure of the answer). Is it
> 'OK' to use a modern machine running a terminal emulator in place of a
> real contemporary-to-the-machine terminal

I'd be comfortable with that *if* I couldn't acquire a terminal for the 
system - and I'd prefer to use a period terminal over an emulator even if 
it wasn't necessarily the correct one for the machine. It's all about 
recreating the original 'experience' as closely as possible, I suppose.

> What about mass storage
> units that just connect to a peripheral interface (I am thinking of things
> like the HPIB-interfaced drives on HP9000/200 machnes).

Personally I'm planning on keeping period storage around and using it for 
as long as I can. There will come a day when it's not realistic/possible to 
do that, but I'm really not interested in emulating a vintage drive with 
something that uses a CF card (say) if I don't have to.

 > Should you
> not use modern machines and compilers to cross-develop software for
> classic computers?

Hmm. I don't have any problem with using modern hardware for the 
development side of it - but I'm not entirely sure *why* I feel that way; 
logically I fell like I should object to it :-)

> Should you only use test gear that was contemporary
> with the machine (so no DSO's when working on classics, I should not
> use my (ancient) logic analysers, even less the LogicDart on my
> PDP11s)?

I've got no problem at all with modern test equipment; I consider fixing 
the hardware to be a separate thing to using it, I suppose (even though I'd 
be inclined to say that I get far more enjoyment out of restoring vintage 
systems than I do once they're 100% operational).

cheers

Jules