4 ms·

At the time, you could also get a math coprocessor for the Apple Macintosh: https://ncsa30.ncsa.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/kogut_cray.jpg https://

by neilv 3y ago

At the time, you could also get a math coprocessor for the Apple Macintosh: https://ncsa30.ncsa.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/kogut_cray.jpg https://ncsa30.ncsa.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/...

johnklos 3y ago
The person in that photo has a very Moss-esque esthetic ;) The m68881 and m68882 are very good FPUs, and m68882s have continued to be made all the way through at least 2012, apparently. I recently bought one that was made in 2012 with Motorola, not Freescale, markings.
gopher_space 3y ago
I remember running a software fpu on a Mac, I think to play a neat little game called Avara.
ForOldHack 3y ago
The Mac Plus could take a 68020 Accelerator board, and mine came without a co-processor, so... I found a 68882 with a missing pin, and soldered one on. It worked like a charm. Wait... Apple SANE did not come out until the Macintosh II... OH! You made a joke. ok. a Cray-X-MP/48 is a math co-processor for a Macintosh.
lproven 3y ago
The development of all the main CPU families from 1980s on went much the same way: 16-bit, discrete CPU, optional FPU, optional MMU. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU, optional FPU. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 cache 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 cache, on-package L2 cache. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 + L2 cache. 64-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 + L2 cache. 64-bit, dual integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 + L2 cache. That's about where it starts to lose coherency. There were dual-core 32-bit chips and so on. I'm also eliding changes in core design such as scalar, superscalar, decomposition into micro-operations, micro-op resequencing, etc. because: [1] it muddies the waters. [2] if people can't remember the difference between a 387 and a 487 then this will go way over their heads. :-(

by neilv 3y ago

johnklos 3y ago

The person in that photo has a very Moss-esque esthetic ;) The m68881 and m68882 are very good FPUs, and m68882s have continued to be made all the way through at least 2012, apparently. I recently bought one that was made in 2012 with Motorola, not Freescale, markings.

gopher_space 3y ago

I remember running a software fpu on a Mac, I think to play a neat little game called Avara.

ForOldHack 3y ago

The Mac Plus could take a 68020 Accelerator board, and mine came without a co-processor, so... I found a 68882 with a missing pin, and soldered one on. It worked like a charm. Wait... Apple SANE did not come out until the Macintosh II... OH! You made a joke. ok. a Cray-X-MP/48 is a math co-processor for a Macintosh.

lproven 3y ago

The development of all the main CPU families from 1980s on went much the same way: 16-bit, discrete CPU, optional FPU, optional MMU. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU, optional FPU. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 cache 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 cache, on-package L2 cache. 32-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 + L2 cache. 64-bit, integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 + L2 cache. 64-bit, dual integrated CPU + MMU + FPU + L1 + L2 cache. That's about where it starts to lose coherency. There were dual-core 32-bit chips and so on. I'm also eliding changes in core design such as scalar, superscalar, decomposition into micro-operations, micro-op resequencing, etc. because: [1] it muddies the waters. [2] if people can't remember the difference between a 387 and a 487 then this will go way over their heads. :-(