Re: A86: very very peculiar

To: <assembly-86@lists.ticalc.org>
Subject: Re: A86: very very peculiar
From: "Matt2000" <matt2000@gte.net>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 23:47:49 -0500
Reply-To: assembly-86@lists.ticalc.org


>yeah i understood him to mean that you didnt need to any of the
interactions
>between the rom and the system. afterall port functions are a major part of
>the rom

Yes thats true. But if TI gave away too much information - on the hardware
they use or the too much info on the rom or info on ports they call. Look at
this *scenario*:

 I can see some company snatch up the ROM, burn it (with some modifications,
because they know a lot about the ROM, because, hey, TI well documented
that), and then use the port information to interface the hardware with
their calculator, because, hey, TI documented the ports. Then their
product - call it Generic86, sells like hotcakes because they are only
charging 50 bucks for it and it can also run asm programs. "Oops", says TI,
"Heck", they comment, "the only way we could make it easier for them is to
actually lay out the schematics in front of their face" (Until next time)

Sure, maybe a company could reverse engineer it, but could they afford to do
that?

 If someone knew enough about electronics, then if they had all that
information that these people here want, then he could probably whip out an
EPPROM burner and a few pieces and create their own calculator, because,
hey, TI documented the ROM, the ports, etc etc

Now if a company got a hold of that idea, then uhh ohh, here comes
Generic86.

--- Now there has to be some truth in this theory. It just makes too much
sense.

-Matt