Path: csiph.com!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!nntp.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: John Ames Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: [OT] Dead DEC Punch card times (was Re: Taking Speedy too seriously) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2026 13:19:40 -0800 Organization: A place where nothing fits quite right Lines: 31 Message-ID: <20261105131940.00003a1d@gmail.com> References: <18dee4b6cab427fa$865$2574533$802601b3@news.usenetexpress.com> <11c8mg3$2e89e$2@kst.eternal-september.org> <_ZucnafJTvBFc3r3nZ2dnZfqnPGdnZ2d@giganews.com> <11c8rq9$1e6t$1@gal.iecc.com> <%Y_FS.30812$Gsmc.9148@fx17.ams4> <20261103155316.609@kylheku.com> <20261105095148.000026b0@gmail.com> <20261105121255.00003b4b@gmail.com> <1j6dnU7499aecXH3nZ2dnZfqn_WdnZ2d@giganews.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Injection-Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2026 21:19:45 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; logging-data="2042689"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19zuqWYx1b8qltR7H7NLAWmRiITDeCVHqQ="; posting-host="e032041f5ec6ace0a85e469f4af2ac9f" Cancel-Lock: sha1:FnpEIBxBz4fs+ohs2qVAZKUz1gk= sha256:IQsmIDo0/W5NB5msoC2pRGw6O0RxcZ5gc3yYo0M9Y5I= sha1:m0qZt1Yf5CzUYzBnefYeHwpMPZE= sha256:lwKB5j+apQTNlXNlQNxqs1Foul9F8JF3R+gjDnOslgA= X-Newsreader: Claws Mail 4.3.0 (GTK 3.24.42; x86_64-w64-mingw32) Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:95183 On Thu, 5 Nov 2026 15:50:22 -0500 c186282 wrote: > Alas I don't remember any 6502s that were clocked much over 1mhz - > while the Z-80s could run at four. MIGHT be that the Z-80 required > more cycles per instruction though, reducing that advantage - > somebody here knows ..... I think the Z-80 needed twice as many > clocks. It's a perennial debate between the Commodore and Spectrum partisans, yep. Z80 systems frequently ran at higher clock rates, but equivalent instructions were around twice as long (IIRC part of it was that its ALU was 4-bit internally.) On the other hand, there's less "register pressure" on the Z80. On the other other hand, most of the registers are just dance partners for the accumulator and/or pointers for load/ store, etc. etc., da capo ad nauseam. (The 6502 did have versions up to 3-4 MHz even in its original form, IIRC, but of course that doesn't mean vendors of home computers back in the day actually *ran* things that fast. It got a 16-bit upgrade in the form of the 65C816, as well, but by that time personal computers were already moving towards 32-bit architectures...) Suffice to say, no matter which you're working with, creative thinking and a comprehensive knowledge of the instruction set go a long way. > The m6809 was a nice chip too, but again Motorola never got the PRICE > down fast enough so it got lost in the crowd. That was a nice one alright, rather beloved among Forth people.