Posted By
MMS
on 2017-01-16
19:00:41
 |  Re: Curious information
Yeah, really interesting topic, i ALMOST registered 
The 264 series missed some key features to be rightfully treated to be a serious,expandable computer for (small) business.
Withs little more expandability it could reach bigger user base and earn the interest of some bigger software houses.
There are some others, rightfully not in the list: (eg. Sinclair QL was killed by it's own microdrives, SAM coupe by slow shared memory magement, first ZX SPectrum rage by small memory and rubber keyboard, etc)
As someone told, it is the same question, what is the best car ever made? (truck? coupe? sportscar? hot rod? family car? minivan? etc). Maybe there are no real good asnwers.
My personal votes for more successful (a more serious and future-proof) 364 computer:
-Numeric keyboard (364... )
-More and/or easily expandable memory
Even today -as far as I know- we are missing the technical knowledge how we can expand a C16 to 64K without internal modifications, and on Plus/4 is it definitely impossible. (or maybe I missed something)
Yes there are nice RAM expanders by Hannes/Solder/Csory, and Super Cartridge was developped.
On VIC-20 it was easy and strainghforward. Plug in and enjoy.
Even on C64 there is the REU with the C128 MMU.
Coco3 (can be easily upgraded to 512K, even 2MB)
Atari 800 (with plugin modules)
-Even 1551 is a little slow, and had no folder structure.
-80 character per line character display for professional text editors
-higher 640x200x4col or 640x200x2col resolutions for more professional applications, like WYSIWYG like DTP or 3D programs (yes, yes, even more memory).
Even Timex 2048 had a 512x192x2 resolution. Hardly used, maybe dut to small RAM.
There are some nice programss on Plussy, but due to memory constraints they could not pass the test to be semi-pro programs. Even GEOS greatly suffers from 1x 1551 drive + non-expandable small 64K memory.
-Readily available Centronics or IEE488 interface for more serious printers. It left Plus/4 in the class of hobby computer
-Native Mouse support with POTX, POTY lines (it became evident only 2 years later, when GEOS released)
-No external CPU or FPU upgrade possible. Although it sound too geek or weirdo, there are some nice exampless
(I do not know, if our cartride port is really the missing NMI line or what).
C64 could have been upgraded with a Z80 to get some CP/M compatibility (=professional programs)
BBC Micro could be upgraded with a faster second 6502 or Z80 --> CP/M
As we already spoke a lot about why it did not became a much more successful home (game) computer, I will not waste my skin of my fingertips
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