Re: questions (about x21)

["Lloyd R. Prentice" <pai@xxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

mlosh wrote:

> Jeff did not develop or market the P21 chip!  That was a joint effort of Dr.
> Ting and Chuck Moore.  Please don't criticise Jeff for things Dr. Ting has
> or has not done!  Jeff did develop a P21-specific version of Forth for P21,
> but it was a fairly loose business relationship from what I have heard about
> in this email list.  Jeff has done a lot of FREE documentation for his F21
> considering it is still at a pre-production stage.  Please remember that P21
> and F21 are different chips commissioned by different people.
>

I'm glad that Mike has made these points. I'd like to expand a bit...

Neither P21 nor F21 development was financed out of deep corporate coffers or VC
investment. Both were financed by individuals drawing on personal resources at
GREAT personal sacrifice. Both Jeff Fox and Dr. Ting were powerfully motivated
by fervent belief in the significance of Chuck Moore's vision and the importance
and promise of MISC technology. Were they chasing the pot of gold at the end of
the rainbow? You betcha. Did they expect a quick killing? Hardly. Was it a good
investment? Many have called them fools.

I'm sure both Jeff and Dr. Ting could add up the dollars they've invested. But I
doubt that they could add up the hours and months and years of tough creative
work needed to bring the P21 and the F21 to where they are today. Neither, I'd
venture to say, has yet to see a dime of profit.

Are there warts on the products and information issued by Jeff and Ting,
respectively? Yes, and they'd be among the first to point them out. In both
cases, I'm sure, they'd love to go through another fab run or two; run more
definitive tests; add this feature or that; spiffy up the printed documentation.
But with what? When you've invested the full extent of your personal time and
financial resources and you've borrowed to the brink and then some, where do you
go from there? I know Jeff, for one, has literally gone hungry to keep F21
development alive.

Both Jeff and Ting have been generous and open with specs, schematics and code.
And both have issued open invitations to folks in the Forth community and on the
MISC list to contribute board designs, testing efforts, system code, etc. But
from what I can tell, few have responded.

So think of it. How many people do you know have the courage to design a
revolutionary new processor, see it through multiple fab runs at at considerable
personal expense, spend countless hours of personal time developing system
software and documentation? Here are two people who have put their money and
their lives where their mouths are. They have said, "This can be done!" and they
have done it. Both chips work. But most of what I have heard from the community
that one would expect to support them is "Gimme.." or "Whydoncha..." or
"Howcomeya..."

Neither Jeff nor Ting are marketers. And, regretably, neither seems to have the
charismatic, inclusive coordination skills demonstrated by Linus Thorvald. But
few people do. Jeff and Ting are both brilliant and dedicated technologists.
They have given us remarkably promising technology that does what they promised.
But it remains to be seen whether Jeff or Ting can muster the skills or
resources needed to push either or both of these chips into the green zone of
success. With our help and support perhaps they can.  But the last thing they
need at this point is criticism for not looking and behaving like Intel.

Best wishes,

Lloyd R. Prentice


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