archangelm
05-06-1999, 05:47 PM
One of my friends recently asked me what is a MCA expansion slot and what can be put into one. Since I have a limited knowledge of pre-pentium era computers I could not answer him and decided to ask others here.
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moto
05-06-1999, 06:17 PM
MCA is the IBM proprietary system bus, used in PS/2's and other obscure IBM machines. You can still get things that use MCA, but they are rare and VERY expensive. Tell him not to bother.
Eli
05-06-1999, 11:01 PM
Micro Channel Architecture, I do beleive. My ol 286 is MCA. Can't do a damned thing with it, not that I'd want to anyway...
steves
05-07-1999, 12:29 PM
MCA was responsible for IBMs loss of the PC market.
Back in 87 IBM got fed up with people cloning PC's (also the ISA bus was becoming restricted). Therefore they decided to introduce a new standard (MCA) which would be patented so others would have to pay to licence it and build PC's.
Everybody else rebelled, got together either carried on with ISA or got in on the EISA development. VESA and PCI eventually killed of MCA. MCA was always seen as expensive (it was expensive) which didn't help.
Anyway IBM failed to re-establish it's market domminace and lost most of the PC market to boot.
That and not giving away OS/2 the way microsoft gave away Windows 3.0 were IBM's two biggest mistakes in the late 80's and it cost them dear. Still not quite as much as letting some little nerd called Gates wander of with the rights to a little operating system know as PC-DOS several years earlier did.
Intel's move to the licenced Slot 1 has it's parrallels with IBM's move to MCA, but their ability to drive the market is ensuring success. Super socket 7 was a response to this and perhaps if AMD/Cyrix and IDT had got together to develop this further they could have given Intel more of a run for their money. Also by selling cheap Celeron's (at reduced profit margins) Intel has ensured dominance of slot 1 in a way IBM never did with MCA.
Here endeth the history lesson http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
Steve
Back in 87 IBM got fed up with people cloning PC's (also the ISA bus was becoming restricted). Therefore they decided to introduce a new standard (MCA) which would be patented so others would have to pay to licence it and build PC's.
Everybody else rebelled, got together either carried on with ISA or got in on the EISA development. VESA and PCI eventually killed of MCA. MCA was always seen as expensive (it was expensive) which didn't help.
Anyway IBM failed to re-establish it's market domminace and lost most of the PC market to boot.
That and not giving away OS/2 the way microsoft gave away Windows 3.0 were IBM's two biggest mistakes in the late 80's and it cost them dear. Still not quite as much as letting some little nerd called Gates wander of with the rights to a little operating system know as PC-DOS several years earlier did.
Intel's move to the licenced Slot 1 has it's parrallels with IBM's move to MCA, but their ability to drive the market is ensuring success. Super socket 7 was a response to this and perhaps if AMD/Cyrix and IDT had got together to develop this further they could have given Intel more of a run for their money. Also by selling cheap Celeron's (at reduced profit margins) Intel has ensured dominance of slot 1 in a way IBM never did with MCA.
Here endeth the history lesson http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
Steve
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