Re: Zilog stopping Z80 production

On 4/24/2024 11:34 PM, Edward Rawde wrote:

"Don Y" <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote in message
news:v0cm9k$2qh0i$1@dont-email.me...

On 4/24/2024 7:03 PM, Edward Rawde wrote:

so in something like and FPGA in is with range of internal ram and
memory
speed is not really an issue

>
Yes. That's where I'd put a Z80 in the unlikely event that I wanted to
use
one these days.
Along with RAM, ROM, and anything else it needs.

>
You'd be better served to use something like a 6502 core as
the bus is cleaner and the core can run considerably faster.

 One reason I liked the 6809 was that it had 16 bit registers like the first
CPU I ever used.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Semiconductor_SC/MP

My first processor was a Nova 1200.  My first *embedded* processor
was the i4004.
The 4004 was about 2000 transistors; the Z80 closer to 8000.  (The
6502 splits the difference at about 4000).  Your attitude/expectations
as to what you can do with a given platform vary directly with the
capabilities that platform makes available.
E.g., the i4004 product required "factory initialization constants"
in order to be operated.  Moving to the i8085 allowed us to replace
the in-house DEC mainframe's functionality with runtime code *in*
the product.  In practical terms not much of a performance improvement
but a big psychological advantage (no need to rely on a service provided
by the factory to *use* the equipment!  What a novel concept -- and one
that is quickly becoming obsolete!  :< )
The '09 (particularly the '09E) was pretty fast and easy to interface
with.  The software folks were always begging for a 2MHz '09 system
doing video games (but, memory costs increase considerably in those days!)
When vendors would pitch hardware to us, they would always cite
"benchmarks".  All of which were synthetic workloads.  They'd be
upset when we would normalize their results for "constant
recurring dollars" -- if I have to specify more expensive components
to get that increase in performance, then my product cost increases
and I have to determine what the impact on sales might be!
[It's amazing how good you can get at normalizing performance
specs when you do it pretty regularly -- new processors were
continuously being released, "back then".  Sadly, there is
comparatively little variety, nowadays.]