[Coco] The Tri-Annual CoCo 4 Thread

[Steve Batson]

I'm still amazed at the amount of disagreement that continues to go with these CoCo Replacments and The CoCo 4, CoCo X, Super CoCo or whatever you want to call it. Quite some time back, some were saying they wanted the "Real Look and Feel of the Real Hardware" or something to that effect. Some want a hardware solution, some want emulated solutions and some want a hybrid and as Steve mentioned, people loose interest because of all the bickering. More recently, people are showing more concern about the diminishing supply of replacement parts. Then I see discussions about the community shrinking but wanting to have something that could help it grow. 

Seriously, how many newbies do you think you can attract if you can't provide a somewhat simple out of the box option for any of these new creations? Granted some old timers may jump on it, and a few hacker/techies. 

I personally still see emulation or some type of modern hybrid of current hardware and emulation being the best option to keep things going. I forget who it was that did it, but someone put an emulator on a Raspberry PI and packaged into a CoCo case. With all the new super small PC's on a card, that seems a perfect way to satisfy the look and feel crowd. For those that don't care as much about the case it's in, I still don't see the issue with a Rock Solid Emulator, 100% Compatible with some ability to add on new features designed to to run on Windows or Linux or maybe all of the popular OS and Platforms with the ability to plug in a device with real CoCo ports, hopefully from a USB 2 or 3 port. 

I don't know about the rest of you, but my space is limited so being able to use existing computer, monitor and other connected devices is a huge plus. Being able to plug in an adapter to a USB or other external port if I need to connect to some CoCo specific hardware is much desired over trying to drag out the real machine and find a spot to set everything up hoping that everything will fire up without problems. Like most of us, I don't earn my living using the CoCo and with my job and other activities, time is limited. When I decide to do anything with the CoCo, it's usually on an emulator.

There's obviously a lot of experience an knowledge in the Coco community to make something work, it just seems like there's going to need to be some collaboration and compromise if anything is to happen. 

I'd rather see the CoCo saved in a way many can easily enjoy than to fade off into the sunset. My 2 cents.


On Feb 6, 2014, at 3:13 PM, Nick Marentes <nickma at optusnet.com.au> wrote:

> 
>>> For me personally, this is exactly what appeals to me about any 'Coco4'.
>>> But I'd also add the ability to connect modern peripherals, such as
>>> keyboards, VGA monitors, CF/SD cards in lieu of floppy/HDD etc. And don't
>>> forget the ability to add functionality for 'real' enhancements that you
>>> would otherwise have to buy, such as Orchestra 90 cartidges, CocoMax etc,
>>> that can be built-in. So-called 'transparent' enhancements are a bonus, and
>>> even enhanced graphics, whilst not essential for me, would be welcomed.
>>> 
>>> My dream is a replacement board that would fit in the Coco3 case, using
>>> the original keyboard, with a cartridge slot. But also with everything I
>>> mentioned above. Or it could sit on a bench, powered by a wall-wart, with
>>> PS/2 keyboard. Best of both worlds...
> 
> 
> Most of those things have already been created on some FPGA retro system
> somewhere and brings me to my opening post that started the CoCo4 discussion.
> 
> Why are we even talking about building an FPGA CoCo when the hardware is
> staring at us in the face?
> 
> I highlighted the Mist FPGA but there are others to choose from. I liked the
> Mist because it was not just a development board but a ready made product,
> nice and compact, with a wider market potential beyond the CoCo to guarantee
> it of sales. 
> 
> It just needs a CoCo core to be added to it Atari and Amiga cores.
> 
> Some bright spark could create an add-on board to provide it with CoCo
> specific I/O if need be.
> 
> Like I said, I only highlighted the Mist but there may be another more
> suitable. The main criteria is to get one that has been popularized to tap
> in to it's "economies of scale" and offer more flexibility.
> 
> Is there a lower cost DE1 compatible board out there?
> 
> Nick
> 
> 
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