> an expandable and hackable computer in the spirit of the 80's home computers
cool!
> Dual Core CPU
hm that will make for some interesting first steps in learning
cool!
> Dual Core CPU
hm that will make for some interesting first steps in learning
It can be done - if you take a holistic approach to hardware + runtime + development environment.
The Propeller probably failed because of the custom language, the custom assembly syntax, the custom ISA, the custom IDE font (!) etc. It was a very neat system though.
It was just too unusual in too many ways.
In one way it’s a bit like the Amiga vs the 8088/8086 PC.
What makes microcontrollers commercially successful is... commercial use. Hobbyist applications are fun, but they don't pay the bills.
*: Microchip hadn't bought them yet
The Apple II had a really cool disk drive because of how it did what it did with so little hardware. By relying on the single CPU for everything it was elegant, advanced, interesting... but perhaps not so easy to program.
https://www.bigmessowires.com/2021/11/12/the-amazing-disk-ii...