Date   : Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:05:37 +0100
From   : "David Harper" <dl.harper@...>
Subject: Re: Acorn Proton?

Pete Turnbull wrote:
To: <bbc-micro@...>
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 11:50 PM
Subject: Re: [BBC-Micro] Acorn Proton?


>> Was this name ever officially used as a model name for the Beeb?
>> It certainly makes sense in context with it's sibmlings' names (Atom,
> Electron) but I've never heard it referred to as a Proton before.
>
> It was never used by Acorn as a name for anything that was released,
> but it was the name for the proposed successor to the Atom.  In fact, I
> believe the spec for the Proton was rather less than the spec for the
> Model A/B, and although the BBC Micro was based on the design for the
> Proton, it got changed somewhat.  I wasn't at Acorn until much later,
> but talking to Ian Bell and Laurie Hardwick and others that were around
> then, that's my understanding.

IIRC the principal thing that the BBC demanded to be added to the original 
"Proton" design was the ability to display Teletext. It is because of the 
BBC's involvement that we got Mode 7.

David Harper