The PC part 2

Post #39,164 by orion 5/18/02 8:03:35 PM Reply	The PC part 2 How about a total redesign of the PC, the current model is outdated and relies on a small number of IRQs that some devices have to share. Why don't we redesign the PC from the ground up? Make a bigger ROM, since we know that Pentium and higher chips can access more memory. Maybe base the ROM on Linux and have an EEPROM part that the kernel can load into? Make it so that the boot process of the OS can be loaded from an EEPROM that can be updated. Make the design so that it can be used for X86, PowerPC, SPARC, Alpha and other platforms as well. This might help break the Monopoly that Microsoft has as the new PC will have to have the OS re-written for the new platform. Linux and BSD should be adaptable easier than Windows. I am free now, to choose my own destiny.*
Post #39,169 by Andrew Grygus 5/18/02 9:17:51 PM Reply	I suggested this about a year ago . . . . . and pointed out there's a hardware platform already available - [link\|http://www.picmg.com/compactpci.stm\|Compact PCI] (cPCI), which has the attraction of not being so greatly different from the PC PCI bus in electrical design. If say, you based your PC cabinet on the current 3U cPCI format, the size wouldn't be a lot different from current PCs, but all your IO connectors would be at the front of the machine and boards could be removed and replaced without opening a cabinet. The 3U format can be used for desktop PCs, the 6U format for high end servers. Right now cPCI is used primarily for "carrier grade" equipment, but there's no reason it can't be made in commercial grades as well. For advanced servers, switched fabric backplanes, hot swap and other advanced stuff is already available in both 32-bit and 64-bit cPCI. Sparc CPU boards are available from Sun, but other CPUs can be supported just as well. cPCI boards support mezanine expansion boards for a very high degree of customization. Just do a Google search on cPCI and you'll find plenty of information. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #39,172 by orion 5/18/02 9:35:12 PM Reply	Sounds good but who sells these things? Not something I can find from companies who list on pricewatch is there? I was thinking more of a new design that has more IRQs, that can boot the OS from EEPROM for faster bootups, and that has more of the function of the OS in the ROM than the "standard" PC. This may speed things up with the OS boot times, and also force Microsoft to adapt or not. I'll keep searching and looking for it. CPCI. *I am free now, to choose my own destiny.*
Post #39,244 by static 5/20/02 1:53:50 AM Reply	Search for "Compact PCI". With the quotes. "All around me are nothing but fakes Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"

Welcome to IWETHEY!