[Info-vax] [OT] PDP-11/MSP430, was: Re: HP adds OpenVMS Mature Product Support beyond the end of Standard Support

[Simon Clubley]

On 2014-02-01, David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> 
>> If we could just get some fabbed with todays tech.  Just think what
>> a performance jump you would get with just the process shrink.  Let's
>> see, then we need SATA controllers.  How about modern (external)
>> memory management?  Now, where's my plans for that PDP-11 laptop....
>> 
>
> Ya know, I started with RSTS, and I liked it.  Until I got into VMS.
>
> My one simple question is this, "why would anyone want a 16 bit OS in 
> these days of gigabytes of cheap memory?"
>

Not everything has gigabytes of memory these days and there are 8-bit
and 16-bit MCUs in active production and being used in new embedded
systems right here in 2014.

However, if they are even running a OS, then they are running a small
dedicated embedded OS and there would be no market for a PDP-11 style
OS (even RSX) on them. There's also no place for the PDP-11 itself,
even refabbed, in this market space.

If you want to know why read up about the MSP430, the instruction set of
which was reportedly heavily influenced by the PDP-11, and which has the
16-bit market space pretty much covered.

More about the MSP430 here:

	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI_MSP430

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world