I don't think that Commodore could have maintained any meaningful market share by adding DOS or Windows compatibility. Even IBM couldn't do that ?. And especially on non-Intel CPUs -- Microsoft themselves tried that with NT, and they couldn't swing it either.
The ultimate "problem" here was that huge market share for x86 meant that Intel could improve a lot more compared to RISC competition than many had forseen. They, and AMD, kept improving the x86 line, and still does to this day.
That said I think OS/2 on x86 PC benefited from being compatible with both DOS and Win16. Without that backwards compatiblity it would have tanked and not sold nearly as much as it did (OS/2 lost out by not being compatible with Win32 then the market moved to that API). Also NT benefited a lot from being able do run DOS/Win16 applications on x86.
Who know; maybe MOS/Commodore could have been AMD today if they made better x86 compatible processors and continued to innovate with its graphics chips?
Agree! The 65816 would have been an obvious choice. Very strange that they rejected what both Apple and Nintendo used.
You need to remember that the 65816 was "not invented here" at Commodore/MOS. It was created by Bill Mensch after he left the company and started WDC. Using the 65816 would be an admission that MOS no longer was at the forefront of their own processor family, like Intel selling PCs with AMD CPUs.
develop a new processor archicture based on the RISC concept, just like Acorn did so successfully.
That success was more technical than commercial. The Archimedes was never as successful as their 8-bit computers, which themselves were also-rans to the competition from Sinclair and Commodore, outside of the education market. The real success of ARM came later as it was licensed for embedded use, which evolved into being the architecture of choice for mobile devices, and by then ARM has become its own spin-off company and Acorn eventually died off.
That success was more technical than commercial. The Archimedes was never as successful as their 8-bit computers, which themselves were also-rans to the competition from Sinclair and Commodore, outside of the education market. The real success of ARM came later as it was licensed for embedded use, which evolved into being the architecture of choice for mobile devices, and by then ARM has become its own spin-off company and Acorn eventually died off.
Fully agree. That is exactly why I talked about Acorns development of their own processors (not about their computers).
That is also the reason why I suggested the future for MOS/Commodore might not be desktop computers at all (at least not with their own architecture), but actually making new exciting (RISC) processors. Just like the 6502 once was an exciting 8-bit (CISC) processor! ?
You need to remember that the 65816 was "not invented here" at Commodore/MOS. It was created by Bill Mensch after he left the company and started WDC. Using the 65816 would be an admission that MOS no longer was at the forefront of their own processor family, like Intel selling PCs with AMD CPUs.
At the same time they did use a Motorola 68000, which was not invented at Commodore/MOS.
At the same time they did use a Motorola 68000, which was not invented at Commodore/MOS.
The other important factor is that Amiga was acquired by Commodore. The 68000 was chosen before it ever came in-house, and switching to a 65816 would have been completely off the table.
The other important factor is that Amiga was acquired by Commodore. The 68000 was chosen before it ever came in-house, and switching to a 65816 would have been completely off the table.
Yes, I am well aware. Fact is that this was just yet another sign that all internal innovation was totally over at MOS and Commodore already at that time.
with unique specs such as Intel i980 and Motorola 88000 together, 512KB RAM, 512KB VRAM with 4096 colours at once (16.7 in later ones), a YM2610B+YM2151+ADPCM+DAC+Enhanced SID combo and support for CD format in addition to cartridges, as a Sega CD and Neo Geo CD competitor. Optional support for Roland MT-32 and SC-55, and maybe, just maybe LD-ROM with playback for PAL and NTSC discs. Motorola 68030 with 68882 and Zilog Z280 with Intel i8232.
Remember those arcade specs?
They can also be used for Commodore to make their own UNIX workstation as a successor to Amiga UX.
If had been Commodore Ceo I would have stick to the plan that the 264 machine should have been a very budget home computer.
So would have produced only a C48 :a machine that matched the ram amount of the spectrum
this simplified computer will be paired with the 1551.
At the same time we should have developed a way to improve the c64 so that it can have a longer lifespan.
The ideal device is the 256 kb reu : bundled with a game specifically designed to use it: once a very large audience is reached a snowball effect will knock in making the reu a must have addon.
At this point we have extended the 8 bit era a couple of years but i woul deem the pc clone unstoppable so, after licensing the amiga back to atari, i will merge the company with tandy and i will try to keep the tandy 1000 graphics and sound ahead of the market.