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The shape of things to come?

Toronto Star Fast Forward Computer Wares for May 8/97

Copyright ©, Myles White, 1997

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If proposals jointly authored by Intel and Microsoft, with contributions by Compaq, are adopted by the PC industry as a whole, the computers sold by the end of 1998 will bear only faint resemblance under the hood to what we see today. The PC 98 Hardware Design Guide is a draft document that hardware manufacturers are mulling over as we speak -- with a tentative completion date of June. Some of the proposals won't survive the cut, but they provide an interesting insight into where the Wintel alliance thinks all computer users should be headed toward the end of this decade.

When the final proposals are adopted, the standards advocated in the guide will determine what a PC built after July 1, 1998 will have to contain in order to receive certification as a PC 98 compliant system. The bottom-line purpose, according to the document, is to provide a PC user with an acceptable level of performance for the next iteration of Windows (code-named Memphis and expected in early 1998) and Windows NT 5.0 (currently in the hands of developers for testing ), coupled with a minimum of fuss.

This isn't the first series of broad specifications defining a PC. There have been various targets set in the past. For example, the MPC (multimedia PC) specifications called for minimum processor requirements, memory, CD-ROM drive speed and audio component qualities. In most cases, the lowest common denominator was far below what most experienced users found to be the practical minimums. PC 98, however, appears to be far in front of what many of today's PC users will find comfortable.

The PC 98 proposals start with a "basic" PC and define four sub-types: Consumer PC, Business PC, NetPC (a special business model) and Entertainment PC, each with an increasing number of sophisticated component specifications.

Proposed components of the basic PC 98 include

• 200 MHz Pentium MMX processor or equivalent with 32 MB of standard DRAM (dynamic random access memory) That would be memory slower than EDO RAM -- extended data out -- or SDRAM -- synchronous DRAM -- found in many of today's systems. Minimum for a mobile computer: 24 megs.
• 256 KB of external cache memory
• Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) support including the ability to wake a sleeping PC via preset alarm
• Support for OnNow, a scheme to allow a PC to be mostly turned off, but able to wake up to take a phone message, incoming fax call or respond to remote requests for data
• All expansion slots in the system to be available for end users to insert cards (many systems shipping today have what are known as "shared slots," two slots so close together that you can use one or the other but not both). The down side of this is a proposal to do away with the older Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) slots altogether (see below) and in all models it is recommended that internal system modifications shouldn't be end-user accessible -- in other words that all variants should ship with sealed cases (yes, some of the proposals appear to be contradictory)
• All devices to be Plug and Play compatible with a unique device ID. In the case of a business PC, the ID should include asset number and serial number
• Hot-swapping (i.e., insertion or removal of devices while the system is powered up) for all devices using USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394 (Firewire), or PC cards (formerly PCMCIA cards)
• Minimum of one USB port (two for an Entertainment PC). USB would allow a series of external devices (up to 127, actually), such as keyboards, pointing devices (mice), gamepads and other game controllers to connect through a universal port and be ganged together.
• Support for Firewire. Also known by the unwieldy technical name of IEEE 1394, this is a high-speed (currently up to 400 megabits per second) serial bus that could eventually replace serial ports, parallel ports and internal data cables as we know them. Firewire support is recommended for Consumer and Business PCs, but is required for Entertainment PCs. Devices to take advantage of Firewire include digital audio, video cameras, VCRs, TVs, PC docking stations, DVD drives, hard disk drives, set-top TV controllers, video conferencing cameras, high resolution scanners and printers. If the unit does have a standard (legacy) serial port, it must use the faster 16550 buffer chip known as a UART (universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter).
• CardBus, a new, faster PC card specification, is recommended for mobile computers.
• No ISA expansion. While manufacturers would be allowed to leave ISA slots in Consumer and Business systems, the proposals strongly suggest that no ISA devices should ship in them. As the proposals stand now, Entertainment PCs shouldn't have ISA slots at all. This proposal will generate the most heat and is least likely to succeed -- this time. Neither manufacturers nor end-users are going to be delighted with it.
• Modem required for Consumer and Entertainment PC; network adapter required for Business PC
• Minimum computer graphics: 65,535 colours at 1024 by 768 resolution. TV output recommended for Consumer and Business PC, required for Entertainment PC (which also requires a TV tuner)
• DVD (digital video disc) and MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group) motion video playback required for all desktop subtypes and recommended for mobiles. A DVD drive is mandated for Entertainment PCs
• Standard (1.44 MB) floppy disk controller to be optional for all models

Other recommendations include two new hardware specifications that should start appearing by the end of this year. The AGP (accelerated graphics port) has been developed by Intel, but is being supported by several graphics controller manufacturers. It involves a new slot architecture and a direct path to the central processor with a higher bus speed than even PCI (peripheral component interconnect) can deliver.

Device Bay is a set of specifications that will allow users to plug various storage devices (hard drives, floppy alternatives, tape drives, CD and DVD drives) into a system without opening the case and while the system is still powered up. Other devices being developed from this scheme include smart cards that would provide added security in corporate environments, where an employee would have to insert a card in order to use a system.

Both AGP and Device Bay are recommended for all systems and AGP would be required for Entertainment PCs.

What does all this mean for prospective PC buyers in today's market? The rate at which technological change is coming to the PC world is about to take a quantum leap. You won't, if you need a PC this month, worry about any of these proposals. You might care if your plan is to use parts of your current hardware in your next PC.

It does say a lot about the industry and its members' desire to put the past far behind it. The personal computer grew up as a device its owners were encouraged to upgrade, add onto and expand. The wide availability of low-cost, swappable components had a direct bearing on how quickly the PC spread. Unfortunately, the number of problems caused by our habit of adding toys to the basic box makes technical support personnel lose their hair prematurely. And it is a direct cost for companies manufacturing systems and components. There is a clear move afoot to stop all this.

If you're hungry for more detail and have an Internet connection, you can download all 23 chapters of the draft PC 98 proposals from http://developer.intel.com/design/PC98/index.htm.

This document is protected by international copyright. You can download it, read it for your own amusement and information and set a link to it from your own website. However, you can't post it at your site, make copies for friends or publish it or any part of it in any medium for any reason unless you ask me first. Thanks.

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