1.70 Mhz 8-Bit Ataris Get 10 Mbit Ethernet

point writes "Thanks to Chris Martin, 8-bit Atari power users can now enjoy 10 Mbit Ethernet, something that the Commodore 64 crowd have been able to do for over a year now... Time to pick up that age-old flamewar? An Ethernet-enabled Atari port of the Contiki operating system has already been completed, and brings the Atari users telnet, e-mail, a web server and a web browser. Pictures and schematics for the Ethernet card, as well as screenshots of the system in action on an Atari 800 are available from the project's webpage."

Comments

Yet Contiki for NES still doesn't have com support

[yerricde]

I hope somebody figures out a way to connect networking hardware to the Nintendo Entertainment System so that yet another old 8-bit platform's port of Contiki can get net support.

Cool!

[sunspot42]

Does this mean a networked version of M*U*L*E would finally become possible? Sweet!

never really thought about this before...

[Malor]

It just occurred to me, with the "10 mbit Ethernet" reference in the title, that it would be harder than hell (impossible?) to push that much data on one of those 8 bit computers.

Assuming you're using only the processor, on an 8-bit machine the data speed ought to be very close to the clock speed; a 1Mhz machine probably could copy no more than 1 megabit, and that's assuming that it was doing NOTHING else, like interacting with the user.

Now, the Ataris have early versions of the some of the custom chips that were in the Amiga, so it's likely that at least some of the load might be able to be offset, but I'd be pretty amazwd if the machines could exceed 2 megabits.

Honestly, everything past a modem is probably overkill on these old machines; it's like putting tires and shocks to do 200mph on a Model T. No matter how hard you push down the pedal, it's just not going to go much faster. :-)

It really puts things in perspective, though; I'm sitting here typing on my Web browser, downloading a TV episode off Usenet at about 3 megabits, and streaming Doll Revolution off the Mac via iTunes, playing it on a (kinda crummy) 5.1 surround sound system. And with all that going on, probably 95% of my processor time is going to Folding@Home.

Goddamn, what a difference a few decades make. :-)

This is really cool..

[Ken Broadfoot]

This kind of stuff is what would have happened if Microsoft and IBM had not destroyed "choice" back in the day.

Wouldn't it be cool if Commodore and Atari and Texas Instruments made some kinda comeback. The internet was a web of completly different platforms all talking via internet standards. Amigas, Macs and OS2 machines. No Linux/Unix vrs Microsoft.

I hope this kinda stuff continues. Even if it is just for fun.

--ken

Where is the Amiga version!?

[Corrado]

Damn, we have ethernet for the C-64, Atari and even lightbulbs, but I still cant get my old A500 or A2000 on the 'net. Oh sure, I could dig up a really old, crappy Ariadne II board off of eBay for $500, but what's the point in that? I want something like this for the Amiga.

Come on, it's got enought power to do something like this and you wouldn't have to build the GUI or OS - just the hardware.

Oh well, I guess a man can dream. :)

Re:Telnet?

[Unominous Coward]

If you need to use an Atari to do your work in security, you're in trouble.

Don't forget the Apple ][

[cplater]

Well, not really, the LANceGS has been available for over three years. It works with an Enhanced ][e or IIgs, although there are no apps for the ][e that use the interface. FWIW, Apple had created an ethernet card for the IIgs to be released with System 6 (GS/OS) but killed it at the last minute so as to not have the IIgs compete with the Macintosh LC.

Re:Why?

[IM6100]

It's fine to play with the old stuff. I do it myself quite a bit.

However, it's foolish to claim that the original processor is running the network stack when the card that it's connected to has an embedded processor that's as powerful or more than the original. That is a bit like running VT100 terminal emulator software on your C64 and claiming you're running 'lynx' on it because it's the serial console for your Linux box running 'lynx'.

Now, native assembly code on the old system and only the tiniest physical layer possible in hardware... that would be impressive.