[Coco] too wordy?

[Aaron Wolfe]

> From: iggybeans <iggybeans at comcast.net>
>
>...
> I'm not sure I understand why the majority of you are so focused on emulators.
> I still prefer real hardware. Using a more modern system to emulate a much less
> powerful older system only seems like a downgrade to me.
>
>...
> Good luck to you guys using VCC and Mess, even if I don't understand the point
> of it.
>

>From a programming perspective, emulation always has been useful and
sometimes even essential in the creation of software.

Emulation is a time honored tool user by system and application
programmers alike.  Computer emulators existed long before
microcomputers were created, and most if not all microprocessors are
implemented in emulators before any silicon wafers are made.  I'm
fairly sure this was true in the 6809's case, as I recall an interview
with the BASIC09 programmers that described how they were developing
the language using a minicomputer emulating the then unreleased 6809.
It was also true of many other 8 bit processors.  Again from memory, I
remember reading an interview with early Microsoft employees
describing how they ported BASIC to new CPUs by emulating the target
architecture on their mainframe.

Beyond the initial porting of operating software, most developers
targeting the 8 bit machines used emulation and other tools on more
powerful computers in their work.  For instance Steve Bjork has
described his CoCo development process and how it often involved using
more powerful or specialized computers.

Today you can use a modern PC in place of the minicomputer or
mainframe, and you can emulate the entire platform with a higher
degree of accuracy.  Otherwise, using an emulated environment as part
of your Coco programming toolbox is about as 'classic' and authentic
an experience as one can have.