Re: A bit like a ... 386?
What ever happened to Chuck Moore's low power parallel processors?
Several things happened.
Chuck uses his own layout tools, which produce very small dice for the amount of compute they provide - but the yield is far smaller than is commercially viable. As a result, although the engineering samples were fairly slappy, they would need a total re-design for mass production - and that idea didn't go down too well.
There was also a change in the way patent fees were allocated in the US; the parent company was funding the venture on the expectation of other patents deriving cash based on the value of the complete item in which the patent was used. When they suddenly had to confine themselves to a portion of the balue of the individual component, that left the cashflow a little bit sticky.
And then there were certain interpersonal issues. The less said about those, the better.
Vic.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
