| From: | Samuel Byford |
| Date: | 2 May 2000 at 22:10:45 |
| Subject: | ZenGen |
Hi all,
The next text is a quote from the current issue (25) of AIO. Has anyone else ever heard of ZenGen? And how likely is this to take off?
Sorry if the text is rather long.....
>
> Interview: Nathaniel Downes of ZenGen
> Article by Mark Tierno
>
> �
> What is Eddas? Who are ZenGen? What does any of this have to do with
> the Amiga? To find out, read on with our interview with Nathaniel Downes
> �
> AIO:
> Well, for starters, what can you tell us about what your company is up to?
> And for the record, what is the full name of your company and your official
> position/title it.
> �
> Nathaniel Downes:
> My company, named ZenGen, Incorporated, is right now finishing up the
> first-stage design work on a computer architecture, which we call
> Eddas. I started the project, thanks to some encouragement from
> friends, and remain in the company as it's Chief Technology Officer.
> Once Eddas is completed, we are planning on an open licence to the
> design, with the exception of the main chip, which will remain closed
> source for the immediate future. Then we will operate as both a
> development company and a licence granting firm. For a set fee, a
> company can label their product as being complient, but if you want to
> use the architecture without a licence, it is fine, but you cannot label
> it as complient and we will not put our reputations behind it. In a
> similar manner to how Linux is POSIX complient, but it cannot claim such
> officially, due to the fact that Linux is a non-profit OS.
> �
> AIO:
> Just what is the Eddas architecture and how does it relate to Amiga as a
> possible successor? Compatibility? Custom Chip replacements?
> �
> ND:
> Eddas is, quite simply, an evolution of the concepts behind the Amiga.
> Since when we began this we lacked any access to the inner workings of
> the Amiga, and due to patents could not make use of them anyways, we
> took the chance of improving the concepts as we worked. Reducing the
> entire system to 2 chips is a good example. Again, due to the lack of
> access to the Amiga design, we did not attempt a direct compatability,
> however producing a binary compatable ABI would be a simpe task to
> accomplish, and would be carried out through the OS. Some work for this
> exists, but it is not a guaranteed feature, yet. As far as a chipset
> replacement goes, we're not pin-compatable, but our architecture is
> vertically minded, and could work in a current Amiga system on an
> expantion card, thereby by-passing the original chipset in favor of Eddas.
> �
> AIO:
> What kind of CPU is involved? Speed? Any other major components we should know of?
> �
> ND:
> The CPU option we'd kept open until recently, to see which CPU model we
> could license with the least difficulty while not sacrificing
> performance. In the end, we chose SPARC, due to it's ease of licence,
> ease of augmentation, and it's proven design. However, Sun's new MAJC
> design should work with Eddas as well, but we have no idea how Sun's
> licence of the new architecture will look yet, so no guarantees. We are
> aiming for a 266Mhz base speed initially, but the core architecture is
> rated up to 800Mhz and beyond, so Eddas will grow much more rapidly than
> Amiga did. But the CPU is only one part of the machine, much like in
> the Amiga. The SPARC, unlike it's competition such as the PowerPC and
> ARM, allows for the addition of a co-processor, a la Amiga-style copper
> into the CPU set. So, no need for having the chipset sneak onto the
> memory every odd-cycle. Now the chipset is a part of the CPU, and can
> demand the memory as needed. Combining this with the CPU-independent
> functions of the chipset, you should find an Amiga-like performance
> improvemet, but at over 10 times the clock speed. But, to warn you, the
> Amiga was not our only inspiration. We learned from IBM, DEC and Cray
> systems as well. "To bring the best into one low-priced package", that
> is our motto.
> �
> AIO:
> Will it be running Amiga's O or do you have a custom-designed version of the
> Amiga OS? If so, what features of the Amiga OS have you kept? Improved
> upon? Added?
> �
> ND:
> Frankly, we don't know which OS Eddas will be running. I would love a
> port of AmigaOS, or possibly Amiga, Inc's new AMIE OS, however since
> there is nothing in writing between us at this time, it is only
> speculation weither or not a partnership would arise. In the meantime,
> we have plans for using an open-source OS such as NetBSD to develop
> whatever final OS solution we will choose with. We are a hardware
> company, our software knowledge is mostly geared for drivers. But,
> whatever OS we choose shall have exacting standards for quality, speed
> and most of all ease-of-use.
> �
> AIO:
> Now that Amiga is in more friendly hands, have you talked to them about any
> cooperation, assistance, or lisencing of OS or other Amiga technologies?
> �
> ND:
> The discussions I have had with people inside of Amiga, Inc are not yet
> something I'm able to talk about. But, to use a catch phrase, cross
> your fingers.
> �
> AIO:
> Any estimated release dates?
> �
> ND:
> At our current speed of development, Eddas prototypes should be ready
> mid-summer, with a release date next year, depending on how the OS
> question develops. But remember, we will not be making whole systems
> for the public, only development boxes. Like Amiga, Inc, our strategy
> is to have other firms use our architecture in their own boxes. But, to
> save time and money, we have plans for a "drop-shipment" strategy for
> companies that want to sell Eddas machines but can't afford to
> manucacture them.
> �
> Thank you for your questions, I hope this answered them all.
> �
> AIO:
> Thank-you for answering them. We hope to hear from you in the future.
> �
TTFN
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