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Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day!

From Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.lang.forth
Subject Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day!
References (10 earlier) <bd2112ba-8677-4b7a-a997-89d4c55c5380@eb6g2000vbb.googlegroups.com> <7x62dsay58.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com> <9395dd39-7dbb-44a0-a4a0-9f4e7e4b9e81@w5g2000vbv.googlegroups.com> <7xfwcwrnib.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com> <8509efe8-cad3-41c3-a4e1-f49e41d84812@i18g2000vbx.googlegroups.com>
Date 2012-03-26 02:43 -0700
Message-ID <7xiphrofxr.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com> (permalink)
Organization Nightsong/Fort GNOX

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dirk.bruehl@usa.net writes:
> The main goal for the 4E4th is to keep it as simple as possible for
> beginners.

Yes, that relocation/compaction stuff could happen behind the scenes and
would allow testing and overwriting words for a much longer session than
if you have to keep wiping user flash and rewriting it.  I think it
could be done with not very much code.  Maybe around 0.5k including the
paging area.  Most beginners aren't going to write 8k of Forth code so
0.5k-1k can likely be spared.  If I get a board I may look at that.

>> board, and that some Wolverines will have 64k of FRAM on chip.
> The MSP430FR5739 has 16k on chip, and the first Wolverine chip will be
> the MP430FR5839, as far as I know. That means 16k only.

Hmm, I did see in one of the articles you linked, that there would be a
64k part.  but 16k is fine for this.

> I am planning to develop a BoosterPack with 4MB of add on memory for
> the LaunchPad.  Do you think this will be enough for a fully
> self-hosted Forth system?


Heh, if anything it will be too much, we'll end up with another bloated
system. ;-) A little more seriously, it may be better to have a smaller
amount of ultra low power SRAM in keeping with the 430 spirit, instead
of a big (4MB) chunk of DRAM, assuming that's what you're using.  Once
you're past the 64k address space the ram isn't really "ram" anyway.

> Interesting. What 32-bit chip with a LOT more resources is it?

Well, I was thinking of the SOC's found in consumer audio players, but
a quick glance through mouser.com finds parts like 771-LPC1115FBD483031 
which is an Arm Cortex M0 microcontroller at 50mhz, 64kb flash, 8k ram,
$2.06 in qty 100.

> A self hosted assembler is only a question of available memory. It's
> not a big deal. Michael wrote the assembler meanwhile. With our 4MB
> BoosterPack this will be no problem.

Cool but I think it's nice if it can run on the stock board.  

> But it is not intended to provide an assembler for now.  Remember, our
> 4E4th LaunchPad is targeted for real beginners. It would be
> devastating to tell them that they need to learn TI's microprocessor
> architecture and have to understand how assembly works.  That's why we
> have Forth. That's why we use Forth.

Well I guess I'm not sure what you're trying to teach.  If it's just
basic Forth, why not run on a PC or in a browser (JSForth)?  I thought
the great thing about 4e4th is that you can see everything the whole
computer is doing, down to the assembly level.  But I can see it being
best to treat that as a more advanced topic.
>
> I am glad myself that I didn't have to deal with assembler. The
> MSP430G2553 is fast enough for all intended user applications. An
> assembler is not needed.  That's why we promote Forth.

The purpose of asm isn't speed, in this case.  It's more about giving
the user ultimate control over the system by letting him/her recompile
all the parts.

By the way, did you see this url from earlier?

  www.primerlabs.com/codehero 

It's being written by some acquaintences of mine.  I saw a 5 year old
kid playing with it, hacking code.  It was amazing.

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Thread

10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-12 13:05 -0700
  Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! "A. K." <akk@nospam.org> - 2012-03-12 22:01 +0100
    Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Pablo Hugo Reda <pabloreda@gmail.com> - 2012-03-12 14:08 -0700
  Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Pablo Hugo Reda <pabloreda@gmail.com> - 2012-03-12 14:11 -0700
  Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Pablo Hugo Reda <pabloreda@gmail.com> - 2012-03-12 14:14 -0700
  Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-03-12 14:51 -0700
    Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Jason Damisch <jasondamisch@yahoo.com> - 2012-03-12 16:11 -0700
      Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-13 00:55 -0700
        Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-13 01:36 -0700
          Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-13 07:10 -0700
        Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Zbiggy <zbigniew2011REMOVE@gmail.REMOVE.com> - 2012-03-13 22:58 +0100
          Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-13 19:42 -0700
        Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! cas_news@strotmann.de (Carsten Strotmann (Usenet)) - 2012-03-22 18:31 +0100
          Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-22 10:58 -0700
            Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-22 22:52 -0700
          Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-22 23:30 -0700
            Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Jan Coombs <jan_2011-02@murray-microft.co.uk> - 2012-03-23 07:59 +0000
              Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-23 02:00 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2012-03-23 15:32 +0000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-23 12:10 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-23 10:43 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-24 22:39 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-24 23:18 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2012-03-24 21:08 -1000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-25 01:53 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2012-03-25 08:38 -1000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-25 15:59 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2012-03-25 13:21 -1000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! cas_news@strotmann.de (Carsten Strotmann (Usenet)) - 2012-03-26 09:37 +0200
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-25 00:26 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! cas_news@strotmann.de (Carsten Strotmann (Usenet)) - 2012-03-25 11:36 +0200
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-25 19:34 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2012-03-25 17:03 -1000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-25 20:13 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-25 20:17 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-25 21:31 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! cas_news@strotmann.de (Carsten Strotmann (Usenet)) - 2012-03-26 08:57 +0200
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-26 01:10 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-03-26 02:55 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-03-26 03:05 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! cas_news@strotmann.de (Carsten Strotmann (Usenet)) - 2012-03-26 15:45 +0200
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-26 00:28 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-26 02:43 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-03-26 02:35 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2012-03-26 02:44 -0700
              Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2012-03-23 15:11 +0000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-23 11:38 -0700
              Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-23 09:49 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Jan Coombs <jan_2011-02@murray-microft.co.uk> - 2012-03-25 22:24 +0100
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-25 17:16 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Jan Coombs <jan_2011-02@murray-microft.co.uk> - 2012-03-29 23:58 +0100
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-29 18:16 -0700
    Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2012-03-13 08:49 -0500
      Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-03-13 07:16 -0700
        Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2012-03-13 12:40 -0500
          Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2012-03-13 11:50 -0700
            Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! quiet_lad <gavcomedy@gmail.com> - 2012-03-13 15:11 -0700
              Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! "Harry Vaderchi" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2012-03-13 22:21 +0000
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! rickman <gnuarm@gmail.com> - 2012-03-15 14:22 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! jacko <jackokring@gmail.com> - 2012-03-15 18:25 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Bernd Paysan <bernd.paysan@gmx.de> - 2012-03-17 17:06 +0100
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! dirk.bruehl@usa.net - 2012-03-17 11:47 -0700
                Re: 10,000 educational single board computers sold on the first day! Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2012-03-18 11:23 +0000

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