On Mon, 28 Oct 2002 at 21:54:36, Malcolm Cadman wrote:
(ref: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>)
>
>In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
>Dave P <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>
>>On Mon, 28 Oct 2002, Norman Dunbar wrote:
>>
>>> I suspect you'll find that scholls nowadays are all 'mainstream' in that
>>> they have a pile of PCs running Windows. They are, after all, training the
>>> 'yoof of today' to be able to work in the offices of today, or the next
>>
>>Maybe I wasn't clear... :o)
>>
>>Old PC XTs used to be able to share some of the functionality of the beeb,
>>but now we have these superfast, PCI-only (no ISA) PCs, they just CAN'T do
>>a lot of the things they used to, without very very expensive cards. We're
>>not talking about computer departments, we're talking about
>>technology/engineering departments, where robotics, data
>>acquisition/control practical work is done...
>>
>>> I'd love to see the QL 'bounce back' but I'm afraid I'm very sceptical when
>>> ideas are put forward to get it going as a 'mainstream' computer. I'm sad to
>>> say that the QL - and its derivatives - are more than likely destined to
>>> remain a hobby.
>>
>>I agree with you on this! The QL will not be making any kind of
>>resurgence. However, elements of the QL can go forward in other things,
>>and in such a way that the community benefits. 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.
>>
>>It's all a case of what can we convince people to buy, and still benefit
>>the community from.
>
>Yes, there is a market in this kind of specialism ... provided it can be
>programmed from any 'mainstream' computer host.
>
>The Lego Mindstorms 'brick' is a popular one right now.
Yes - the 'RCX'
It is desperately unsophisticated of course, only 3 I/O lines, very
inaccurate clock, and not dirt cheap.
There is C like (NQC - 'Not Quite C') language support for them - which
Ben (my 12 yr old son) uses.
IBOX - the thought in the mind of me and Stuart, went a fair way down
this route. I even started building a prototype.
It was planned have Minerva/68xxx/pic.
It was primarily for I/O but could easily have had keyboard and some
sort of display.
and it would have fitted inside a 36 way D housing.
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