National changing directions?

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3 total messages Started by Henry Spencer Wed, 11 Dec 1985 20:04

#237

Author: Henry Spencer
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1985 20:04

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A friend pointed out something interesting:  there is a job ad in net.jobs,
from National, asking for... RISC people!  CMOS chip designers, computer
architects, compiler people, Unix-porting people.  Sounds serious.

Just how is this going to affect the existing 32000 line?  Compatibility is
obviously out, or they wouldn't be hiring compiler and Unix people.  Has
National decided to make a fresh start and abandon the mistakes of the past?
(Undoubtedly the existing products will be "fully supported"... for a little
while...)

Re: National changing directions?

#244

Author: Jan Steinman
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1985 20:57

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In article <6217@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
>A friend pointed out something interesting:  there is a job ad in net.jobs,
>from National, asking for... RISC people!...
>
>Just how is this going to affect the existing 32000 line?  Compatibility is
>obviously out, or they wouldn't be hiring compiler and Unix people.

I don't see why "compatibility is obviously out".  A RISC design has higher
potential for compatibility than a conventional design, through the use of
emulators.  A tightly-coupled emulator could provide binary compatibility,
possibly with improved performance, yet allow radical improvements in
performance by re-compiling the source code into RISC instructions.

-- 
:::::: Artificial   Intelligence   Machines   ---   Smalltalk   Project ::::::
:::::: Jan Steinman		Box 1000, MS 60-405	(w)503/685-2956 ::::::
:::::: tektronix!tekecs!jans	Wilsonville, OR 97070	(h)503/657-7703 ::::::

Re: National changing directions?

#243

Author: Landon Noll
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1985 05:36

19 lines
1584 bytes

In article <6217@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
 >A friend pointed out something interesting:  there is a job ad in net.jobs,
 >from National, asking for... RISC people!  CMOS chip designers, computer
 >architects, compiler people, Unix-porting people.  Sounds serious.

Yes, such a project exists. It is at the point where we are searching for
additional people to join the project.  The project is quite serious.

 >Just how is this going to affect the existing 32000 line? 

This new project does NOT signal a dropping of the 32000 line.  The 32000 line
is going well.  In fact work towards the the next generation cpu is going
strong.  Yeilds are up, and the `3*3**' runs a solid Unix.  New yummo 32xxx
chips are in the pipes.

National just happens to be a multi-nation company that is big enough to do
more than one thing and chew bubble gum at the same time!  :-}

chongo <ns128064 in 1994> /\oo/\

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