Re: Milan

From: Michael Grove <grovem_at_ridgecrest.ca.us>
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 23:38:57 -0800 (PST)

>Hi,
>
>> >I just read that the new Milan computer will be able to run both
>> >as a TOS clone and as a regular Pentium clone. It will be much
>> >cheaper than getting the Pentium card for the Hades as you will
>> >just need to add a Pentium CPU. All the chips are already there
>> >(the Milan is based on a standard PC chipset) so why not use them?
>>
>> I strongly doubt this would be possible. And if yes, then it will be
>> something like real PC with Janus on top of it. Not that bad idea, but the
>> compatibility would not be too high, I think. But once they use 68040,
>> anything but GEM apps won't run on it, anyway.

????? You must be thinking of the NOVA. Non-Gem apps run fine on the
040. Does the Milan have "Atari Video" support? If not, then that
might cause some problems. If they went that far to develope a
computer that comes close to operating on TOS 4, they must have made some
provisions. I think even the latest version of MagiC Mac supports "ST"
resolutions to some extent. I'll know in about two days:).

>
>No, it's more like a Hades with a PC card (Janus in your case).
>
>> When I am thinking about it - yes, that's a really cool idea (to build a
>> normal PC and just design a 68030 card).

Hundreds are available. You must mean with the custom Atari chips
too?:).

>>
>> But then, an IBM 200/MX with Gemulator is probably faster than Afterburner
>> and you need not to bother with developing hardware at all.

Yup, run them games in 16 colors, opps, 3.06 has been stolen, err, I
mean supported now, so I guess that would mean 8bit, right? But then
what games run on a TT?

>
>Sure, but it's not as fun. A MAJOR difference.
>
>> Do we really need a new, not too much compatible hardware when there's the
>> Gemulator? :-)

I have a Gemulator that is for sale real cheap. It's pucker factor
isn't up to my Falcons standards:).

>
>But this is not the same! It's a TOS computer with a 040/060 which you
>can add a Pentium CPU to make it work like a PC. The Pentium will sit on
>a card, or maybe have its own CPU socket (I'm not sure which). Then you
>just start it as a TOS box or PC box. With a Janus you get a ST with a
>Milan you get a Hades comparable TOS computer with the option to play
>PC games. It's a dual processor computer with the difference that you
>have got a 68k and x86 CPU to choose from. Not some stupied emulator.

060 I think is the key word here. Short of going the way the Amiga has
gone with a RISC, it is the best alternative processor for the TOS
platform. I doubt that Gemulator could launch itself in the time that
a Hades 060 could rotate a 10mb tiff file 90 degrees under
Photoline:).

>
>Also as a Pentium CPU isn't very expensive it wont cost much to add the
>PC option (about the same cost as the slllooowww gemulator I guess). Okey
>it wont be the fastest PC on the planet but fast enough and it's still
>a TOS box in the soul.

Sure, the Pentium is so cheap now, I could leave the cover off my
machine and keep my coffee warm!

>
>//Magnus Kollberg

Mike
     
     
     Reseller of Bill's Window cleaner
"Wipe the pie from your eye without rebooting"
Received on fr. feb. 27 1998 - 11:06:00 CET