On 28/10/02 at 18:30 Dave P wrote: >Maybe I wasn't clear... :o) >... > If we had a really compact embedded board with serial/IR keyboard/ > programming in BASIC (a bit like a super BASIC STAMP module, but > more powerful ;) it could sell by the bucketload.
PRECISELY!!!! This is THE market for QL-like hardware and SMSQ. I have looked through various offerings in this area and even with Mot. (in all their 'wisdom') making undue problems with 68k/MCF availability, a 'QL-stamp' would win hands down just on the strength of (a) Sbasic (b) multitasking. Heck, I would be buying them right now. It's only a pity that Mot. decided to deprive us of the component most suited for a 'QL-stamp' - the 68306 (IIRC). The closest to it right now are the Dragonballs (68328 in all it's versions). There is one V2 coldfire that could do the trick too, and although not completely compatible with 68k, this is a case where it would not be a great problem as it would not run any of the traditional QL apps (so the SMSQ/QDOS/Minerva source could just be recompiled via microAPL's cross-compiler), but in this case the benefit to the community is not very big, unless a way is found to funnel the financial proceeds back into it. Nasta
