Hi Dave, >My comments are more a reflection on the lack of explanation given on the >site ;)
If you look real close, you'll find the details ;-) Nevertheless it is good to hear about the impression the website made on you. You are an example for a person which has not been familiar with the QL scene for long time. We are sure doing something wrong. We need to put ourselves more into the position of someone who just wants to get a quick overview. Thanks for your comments. >There are four lattice FPGAs? What do they do? I'm assuming you are very >familiar with the hardware. They are stuffed with hand-optimized logic. Look similar to GALs but have many thousands of gates. The FPGAs implement: -DRAM controller -32 Bit QL modes and highcolor/highres graphics -Interrupt controller -ISA bus controller -PC keyboard interface -Interfaces to the onboard peripherals like NVRAM, clock, LED, sound -waitstates, chipselects and all the other system stuff >> The reason why we don't emphasize the slots are the current lack >> of QL software drivers for anything but IDE, FLP, SER, PAR. > >The only thing I can see missing from that list that I consider important >is ethernet. We have Ethernet! It works fine on Q40/Q60, but under Linux. The development of QDOS/SMS software is (as always) the big bottleneck. >What's the likelihood of the site being updated a little to include more >information? 50:50 ;-) There is not really a large lack of info, but you must work yourself through the links to get it all. The information needs better presentation. >Also, is there room for an open hardware development site, so we could try >to co-operatively develop a board with basic features like IDE and >ethernet on the board, and possibly a defined expansion connector with all >the necessary address/data lines? The Q40/Q60 is open hardware. All interfaces are open and documented. You can implement your own OS, make your own extension cards, or do whatever you like. In fact we have two (working!) non-commercial operating systems, which was only possible by the open and documented hardware. Thanks to Richard Zidlicky and Mark Swift who did the software. Q40/Q60 hardware fully supports IDE and Ethernet. IDE gets used under all OS, Ethernet currently only under Linux. >This would then find a market not just >to QL enthusiasts but also to the SBC marketplace... I would quite like to >be involved with something like that :o) I am pessimistic, because the 68060 CPU's are very expensive, and not as fast as other architectures. All the best Peter
