Re: processor info...

On Wed, 22 Apr 1998 16:51:26 -0700, Clay Cowgill <ClayC@diamondmm.com> wrote:

>> Does anyone have any information on the old Hatachi 6303's? (They
>> were 680x
>> clones but much easier to program -- until Motorola sued ;^(
>>
>I think I have a databook from Hitachi with at least the 6309 in it...
>Not sure about the 6303 (can't say I've seen one that I recall). I
>guess the 6309 was a popular performance booster for the Radio Shack
>Color Computer crowd...
>
>> Have I mentioned yet that Motorola has got to be the most nearsighted
>> company on earth?)
>>
>Ahhh, but at least they can make a fast processor that doesn't pull more
>watts than a coffee maker. ;-) You're not falling for the new ad
>campaign?!?!! (Birds, or wings, or flying or something...)

They're products are great, they just have no way of selling them.

These are some stories I've heard, or read, over the years. Maybe they're urban
legends, but I know at least a couple to be true:

#1 IMSI (Did I spell that right? A seem to remember an 'A'.) of IMSI 8080,
first "ownable" computer originally wanted to use the 6800 because of it's nicer
orthogonal instruction set but could not find any interest at Motorola who
claimed personal computers would never sell... So they chose the 8080. CPM was
then written for the 8080. The 8080 does so well Zilog branches off with the
Z-80 increasing CPM's popularity (and 8080 sales indirectly). MS-DOS is based
on CPM. Nobody buys Motorola processors and Motorola, to this day [I'm sure]
doesn't know what they did wrong.

#2 IBM goes to Motorola to use the 68k processor in their Personal Computer.
Motorola is not quite done with some of it's peripheral parts (DMA / Math
co-processor, etc.) and IBM can't get them interested. Motorola claims personal
computers are just a fad and will never sell anyways. They were really only
interested in the high end market. Intel on the other hand hacks their 8080
devices (DMA, etc -- if you notice these parts worked with both the 8080 and
8088 with only a slight change in the interrupt workings. They only worked on a
64k boundary! Shlocks!). IBM buys MS-DOS (after 1st trying to buy CPM but
that's a different story). The PC is born and nobody buys Motorola processors.

#3 The company I currently work for wanted to use a Motorola LCD display in a
handheld product (which I can't talk about). Their first purchase would be 100k
units. They're production run would be on the order of 1 to 2 million per year.
I spent 1 month trying to get somebody interested enough to send me a data book
on the display. The company had so much trouble getting any kind of response
from the Motorola sales dept, that when Sharp got wind of us, their offer and
support was so nice, that now we're going with Sharp parts, using Motorola as a
possible 2nd source. Motorola probably doesn't even no they lost that sale.
(Motorola: What sale?)

#4 The last company I worked for wanted to put 68k processor in a medical
respirator. We designed the whole board and had a working proto-type when we
got a letter from Motorola that Motorola would not sell any parts to a company
that uses them for life support. We had to start over with an Intel processor.
*THEN* Motorola changed there mind (and then again two more times!). *THEN* the
Intel reps came out and stuffed co-processors in the pockets of all who was
involved in the decision making process (not me) and got them to change anyways.
Meanwhile Motorola informs us they were closing down their South California
office and that all communications would have to be done with reps in Texas.
During which time Intel has expanded its service by sending a rep by once a week
to take us out to lunch, see how things were going etc.

#5 Motorola is a looser company with great products and no ability to sell them.

-Zonn

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

 ------ ___ Member of A.A.C.S.:
 |---- | ( ) Association for Artistically
    / / ( () ) Challenged Signatures
   / / //\\ // (__)
  / ---/ // \\ //\\ // zonn @ zonn . com
 -------| // \\/
Received on Wed Apr 22 18:04:46 1998