AmigActive 10/AACD 10.iso/AACD/Information/Guides/AIOIssue35/data/fe8

Text File | 2000-04-19 | 6KB | 114 lines

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{subhead} Interview: Nathaniel Downes of ZenGen{def}{p}
Article by Mark Tierno
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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
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AIO:{p}
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.
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Nathaniel Downes:{p}
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.
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AIO:{p}
Just what is the Eddas architecture and how does it relate to Amiga as a
possible successor?  Compatibility?  Custom Chip replacements?
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ND:{p}
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.
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AIO:
What kind of CPU is involved?  Speed?  Any other major components we should know of?
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ND:{p}
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.
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AIO:{p}
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?
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ND:{p}
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.
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AIO:{p}
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?
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ND:{p}
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.
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AIO:{p}
Any estimated release dates?
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ND:{p}
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.
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Thank you for your questions, I hope this answered them all.
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AIO:{p}
Thank-you for answering them. We hope to hear from you in the future.
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