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You have to take a moment to appreciate that a "Major Computer Company" (Burroughs) made bank selling these systems to large businesses to handle things like th
by ChuckMcM 5y ago
You have to take a moment to appreciate that a "Major Computer Company" (Burroughs) made bank selling these systems to large businesses to handle things like their accounting etc. And yet today you can emulate the entire system with all of its peripherals on an ESP32 microprocessor that you can buy for $5.
It was this sort of realization by people in the 80's who were seeing Microprocessors that could do much of what computers could do at the start of their careers, who thought "Wow, we can make a 'microcomputer' that does all that too."
It is possible today to write a full accounting package that tracks an entire families budget for all the things they buy and all their expenses and income that runs on a $2 chip with another $5 in peripherals. If you re-use the family TV for a display, you can build an inexpensive appliance that could help a family manage their budget, wirelessly send required data to a tax calculation service or program, and never need software "updates".
This is the opportunity of the "new" microprocessor revolution (in my opinion), which is basically one computer per program. And the whole package "just works."
- JJMcJ 5y agoFriend refused to take small computers seriously, this was late 80s. Reminiscing about Control Data back in 60s. Looked up specs, even then an 80386 with math coprocessor could run rings around the CDC systems. Don't get me wrong, the CDCs were great achievements, it was just my friend didn't keep up with the times. He'd gone into non-technical work so he can maybe be excused.
- ChuckMcM 5y agoI hear ya! I find it interesting that TODAY people grab a "Raspberry Pi" equivalent machine when something much much simpler will do.
- insulanus 5y agoVery true! But probably for different reasons. Interfacing to a micro-controller or a PIC is a bit more complicated than plugging a keyboard and monitor in.
- JJMcJ 5y agoSuper low end Arduino or a PIC board, or something equivalent in power. But the Raspberry Pi has the advantage of a lot of computer power, and a full set of programming tools, which is nice.
- ChuckMcM 5y agoI was thinking something like the RP2040 which is Cortex-M4 based. 8 bit Arduinos are nice and all but since you can get a 32 bit processor with hardware floating point for the same price points you don't have to "go that low."
- JJMcJ 5y agoHadn't heard of the RP2040. It's quite impressive. I see even the Arduino organization produces a board that uses it.
- Narishma 5y agoRP2040 is Cortex M0+. It doesn't have an FPU.
- ChuckMcM 5y agoAh, I sit corrected. I had made the erroneous assumption that the second core was and M4 not another M0+. Thanks!