Impressions From a Visit to Foonly

This document contains a series of memos detailing a visit to Foonly by Digital staff on July 12, 1983. The primary objective was to evaluate the technical feasibility of upgrading the existing Foonly F1 PDP-10 processor design to support extended addressing, with the goal of establishing a business relationship. The document includes:

• Detailed Technical Review: Breakdowns of the Foonly F1 architecture, including its prefetch unit, IBOX, EBOX, MBOX, and I/O subsystem.
• Upgrade Proposal: Strategies for adding extended addressing, including hardware and microcode modifications, and the integration of Foonly's FBUS I/O controllers.
• Development and Manufacturing Plan: Outlines for using S-1 project manufacturing methods, the SCALD CAD system for design, and Digital's involvement in enclosures and power supplies.
• Maintenance Philosophy: An in-depth description of the "Instant Expert Service" (IES), which leverages the Console Computer's debugging capabilities to facilitate remote troubleshooting and support.

The author concludes that the project is feasible provided that Foonly receives the necessary consulting to navigate technical challenges without being hindered by excessive corporate processes.