The Explorer computer family:
powerful solutions for complex problems*
Solutionstocomplex problems that have resisted traditionalcomputerization require acombination ofnew architectures,powerful software
environments,and performance beyond the capabilities of traditionalcomputers.
Symbolicprocessing, a computing technology that usessymbolsto representreal-world objects and propertiesassociatedwiththem, provides themeanstosolvemanyof
these problems. This approachrequires powerfulcomputersdesignedfor efficientexecutionof symbolic processingsoftware.
The Explorerfamilyof high- performance symbolicprocessing computerswasdevelopedto meet this need by Texas Instruments,a pioneer in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence(AI)technology.
The Explorercombines theLispsymbolic processinglanguage,anintegrated softwareenvironment,and optimized hardware supportto provide themost
powerful,reliable, and cost-effective symbolicprocessingsystemsavailable.
Practical applications of artificial intelligence.
Anincreasingnumber ofcompanies arealready beginningtoachieve substantialreturnsfrom applications usingAI technology. Expertsystems have becomean importantaidin dynamic scheduling, equipment diagnostics,monitoringandcontrol, configuration,and design. Rapid softwareprototyping isincreasingly being used for large, complex software
systems.Fora growinglist ofcustomers
around theworld,the Exploreristhe keytohelping them solve difficult problems in numerousapplications.
Technology leadership.
Texas Instruments is aworld leaderin the field of artificial intelligence.A researchprogramthat beganin 1978 has
grown into acompany-wide strategyfor developing and applying AI technology.
TI brings itssemiconductorexpertise toAI through MegaChip"
Technologies,asetofprocess,design automation,andmanufacturing technologies usedto createa new generationof semiconductor products andservices.Thesuperiorperformance of the Explorer Lisp microprocessor is a result of thisprogram.
New
deliveryalternatives.
TI has long recognized the need fora rangeof delivery optionsto meet
differingcustomerand application
requirements.
Somesymbolicprocessingapplications requirethepowerofanExplorer11,TFs highest performance symbolic
processingsystem,eitheras a workstationor as a server in a networkedenvironment.Smaller applications canoften beeffectively deployedonPCsortechnical
workstations. But as a growingnumber ofsignificantapplications arebeing developed,a newkind of delivery
systemisneeded—onethat has the full powerofanExplorer and the
applications base ofaleading TI offers the broadestrange of AI
products andservicesinthe industry, including the Explorercomputerfamily, the Personal Consultant" Series of
expert systemdevelopmenttools, KnowledgeEngineeringServices,AI education, and productsupportservices.
conventionalsystem
TI isalsoaworld leaderinthe practical application of AIin its own operations.This internal experience putsTIin a unique positiontohelp
customers solve their business problems.
The
micro
Explorerisidealfor
deliveryof
complexexpert systemapplications, such as diagnosticsand dynamic scheduling.micro Explorer: ideal for delivery
of symbolic processing applications*
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The
micro
Explorer combines TVs powerful Explorersoftware
environmentandLispchip with the widelyacclaimedApple Macintosh 11computer.Applications delivery.
The
micro
Explorersystemcombinesthe best oftwo computingworlds:
"
TI Explorer. The Explorerfamily featuresapowerful softwareenvironmentand optimized hardware
supportfor productive development and efficientexecutionof symbolic
processingapplications.
"
Apple® Macintosh® 11. The MacintoshII extends the Macintosh familywitha newopenarchitecture. Based onthesameindustry standard TI Nußus" usedinExplorersystems,the MacintoshII has thepowertorunnot only themostadvanced productivity applications, but also newapplications such asdesktopengineering.Theinnovative
micro
Explorersystemmakes the widespread deployment of
expertsystemsand other symbolic processingapplications possible, and enables the development ofa new generationof intelligent integrated
applications.
operating environmentsconcurrently.
For example, the MacintoshII gathers data and doesnumericcalculations, while the
micro
Explorerprocessoraddsexpert system capabilities.
Extensive networking. Themicro- Explorer takes advantage of themany networking andcommunicationproducts available for the Macintosh 11.This makesiteasyfor the
micro
ExplorertoThe
micro
Explorerisdesignedto meetthe needs of developers anduserswho
want tobring thepowerof symbolic processingtobearonsolving complex problems suchasdynamic scheduling and computer-aidedengineering.
Multipurposesystem.The user can run both symbolic applications and conventional applications on a single
systemwithout having tocompromise ineitherarea.
Integratedsymbolic/conventional applications. Incaseswhereusersdesire
toaugmentoradd intelligenceto
conventional applications, themicro- Explorer providesauniqueplatform for
integratedapplications. Suchanapproach woulduse theresourcesof both
fit inwith moderncorporate computer
networks.
Family compatibility. The micro- ExplorerisbasedonthesameExplorer softwareenvironmentandLisp chipasthe Explorer 11. Applications developedon other Explorerfamilymemberscanbe easily installedonthe
micro
Explorer.Lowcost.State-of-the-art VLSI and
computertechnology make thepower of the
micro
Explorer available fora surprisingly lowcost.Anditsunsurpassed price-performanceratiomakesmany newAI applications economicallyTwo
computersin
one.Theconceptbehind the
micro
Explorerissimple. Start with thesuperior Explorer softwareenvironment. Using Tl's uniqueLisp chip and application specific VLSIcomponents,builda processorboard that has thepower neededtoruntheenvironment efficiently,yetissmall enoughtofit in adesktopcomputer. Then selectan exceptional hostsystem—the MacintoshII
—
and develop special software interface facilities tosmoothly couplethetwoenvironments.The result isthe
micro
Explorer—
thefirst systemtocombine the extraordinary capabilities of theTI Explorer and the Apple Macintosh II
in onepowerful desktop package.
practical.
Two powerful software environments for high productivity
Symbolic and conventionalapplicationsoperateconcurrentlyonthe
micro
Explorer, and can be integratedtosolvedifferent
aspectsof
acomplexproblem.Explorer software environment. Development and
delivery.All members of the Explorercomputer familyfeature anextraordinarily powerful and productive software environment,and the
micro
Explorerisnoexception.Explorer software provides the tools that developers need
tosolve complex problems, and the supporting environmentneededtorun these applicationseffectively.Key features include:
"
Fully integratedenvironment"
CommonLispwith Zetalisp extensions"
Flavors object-orientedprogrammingsystem
"
Comprehensivesetofprototyping and development tools"
Thousands of application building blocksdevelopment capabilities.
The
micro
Explorercomeswitharuntime versionof the Explorer software environment. Development toolsareomittedinordertodecrease thesizeof the software. Thispermits applications developedonlarger Explorersystemstobe deliveredon lower-costsystemswith smaller memory and diskconfigurations, and with the capability ofrunningconventional application software. Because the underlying software and hardware architecturesarethe same,thereare no portingdifficulties as areoften
encountered when developingon one systemanddeliveringonanother. This makes the
micro
Explorer ideal for applications delivery.But the
micro
Explorer isnotlimitedtodelivery only. Optional development software packagesareavailable that provide full Explorer software
Macintosh II software.
Thousands of software packagesare available for the Macintosh 11,ranging from computer-aided designto
professional productivity applications.
The point-and-click simplicity ofits graphic interfacesets astandard for easeof learning andeaseofuse.Anda host of availablecommunications packages provideconnectivitytoother
computersfrom mainframes toPCs.
Combining
twoenvironments.
The Explorerenvironment issmoothly coupledto the Macintosh II operating environment.StartinganExplorer applicationonthe
micro
Explorer isthesame asstarting anyMacintosh II application because the Explorer
systeminterfacestotheuserviathe Macintosh II windowsystem. Similarly, Explorer software usesthe MacintoshII file system,sothereare noseparate
disk storageproblems.
For integrated applications that make useof bothoperatingenvironments,a Remote Procedure Call capability is provided. This allows applications to runconcurrentlyonbothprocessors, and exchange informationasneeded.
Multiple processor hardware for high performance*
Concurrent
processing.Like the Explorerfamily,the MacintoshIIusesTl'sNußus,an
advanced,processor-independentbus architecture that isdesignedtosupport multiple processors.This design makes
itpossible toincorporatethemicro- Explorerprocessorand MacintoshII processorin asingle system.Operating concurrently, thetwoprocessorsprovide the userwith unprecedentedpowerin a desktopsystem.
Architecture optimized for
symbolic processing.Onereasonthat symbolicprocessing is effective insolving difficult problems is thatitautomatesmany lower-level details, freeingthe developertofocus
TexasInstrl IiENTS
/
'
♦♦"*■ DevelopmentSoftware
* User'sGuide
■
f m microExplorer
onthe conceptual level of the problem Two examples of thisaredynamic data
typeprocessingand dynamicmemory
management.
"
Dynamicmemorymanagement automatically allocates and reclaims memory."
Dynamic datatypeprocessingfrees the developer from explicitly havingtodeclare datatypesin advance.
This givesapplications more flexibilitytodealwith complex and changingsituations.
To implement these functions Lisp
systemsusetags,specially designated bits associatedwith each data word.
The Explorersystem architecture provides hardwaresupporttoprocess
tagsinparallel with instruction
execution.This eliminates the costly overhead ofperforming these functions withsoftware, asrequired by other
systems.And Tl'suniqueTemporal GarbageCollection capability reclaims memoryincrementally duringprogram executionin a waythat isvirtually invisible totheuser.
State-of-the-art VLSI
processor.At the heart of the
micro
Explorerprocessor isTl's Explorer Lisp chip, the world's first 32-bit microprocessor designed for symbolicprocessing applications. It is oneof themost
complex integratedcircuits ever produced, with morethana half- million transistors on a one-centimeter squarechip of silicon. The Lisp chip's high speed and on-chipsupportfor tag processingand other symbolic
processingfunctions enable the development of both higher- performancesystemsand smaller
systemsthan previously possible.
The
micro
Explorerprocessorhasitsownon-boardmemoryof four megabytes, expandable totwelve megabytes.By usingone-megabit
memorychips, Tl's application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), and the uniqueTI Lisp chip, the
micro
Explorerpacks thepowerofanExploreron a single board thatoccupies just one expansionslot inthe Macintosh II
system unit.
Macintosh 11.
The MacintoshIIcomputeris anideal hostsystemfor the
micro
Explorer.Itscrisphigh-resolution graphics provideanadvanceduserinterface. Its powerful 32-bitprocessorhandles computationally intensiveapplications effectively.Anditsexpandability
—
memorytoeight megabytes and beyond,massstorage toseveral hundred megabytes, andsixinternal Nußus
expansionslots
—
providesaneasygrowth path.
The
micro
Explorer uses the world'sfirst
AImicroprocessortorunthepowerful Explorersymbolic processing environment.Helping customers put AI to work*
Knowledge
EngineeringServices.
TI canhelpyourorganizationget
startedinexpert systemsdevelopment throughitsKnowledge Engineering Services.
Tl's experienced knowledge engineers areavailabletoworkwithcustomers in all phases of development
—
application and toolselection,feasibilitydemon- strationandprototyping,and fullcustomprojectsincluding knowledge acquisition,systemdevelopment, deployment, integration,and maintenance.
Education and
support.The Texas Instruments Education and Development Center has developeda broad curriculum ofcoursesdesigned specificallyfor the people who willuse Explorerfamilycomputers.Featuring live instructionbyhighly-qualifiedTI personnel, thecourses areavailableata Texas Instrumentsfacilityor atthe customer'ssite.More than2,500people have already received Explorertraining through the Education and Develop-
mentCenter.
TIis also making informationonAI availableto awide audience throughits Artificial Intelligence Satellite
Symposium series.More than150,000 people have attended thesesymposia.
Inadditiontoknowledge engineering,formal education, and apprenticeshipprograms,Tl'songoing customersupportincludes suchservices as atechnicalcustomersupportline and fieldanalystsupport.
Field
service.Quality: we've built
ourreputation
on it.Explorerfamilycomputersystemshave been designed for highly reliable
operation.They have also been designedforeasy maintenance, including powerful built-in diagnostic
testsand easily accessiblecomponents.
At TexasInstruments,qualityispartofour culture. Whetherit isoursystems,software,
or services, ourgoalistobe the industry leaderin qualityandcustomersatisfaction.
Tl's worldwide base ofcustomer servicerepresentatives isreadyto
provideinstallation, contract maintenance,and on-callservice, allowingcustomers tochoose the service programthat bestmeetstheir needs. TI offers several standard maintenancecontractsorwill tailora contract tofit specificcustomerneeds.
Tl's comprehensiveservice programs areconsistently rated excellent in user
surveys.
TIprovides the industry's broadestrange
of
AI products andservicestohelpourcustomersputAItowork.micro Explorer system specifications*
Hardware
specifications.micro
Explorerprocessorandmemory"
32-bit VLSI ExplorerLispmicroprocessor
"
4MB on-board memory"
Optional 4MB orBMBmemoryexpansionboard
"
32K wordx63 bit writable controlstore
"
Seven application-specific VLSI chipsfor buscontrol, Nußus data path, DRAM data path
MacintoshIIprocessorandmemory
"
32-bit 68020microprocessor, 15.7MHz"
68881 floatingpointaccelerator"
on-board2MBRAM, expandabletoBMB"
256KSystemROMMassstorage
Internal hard disk
—
40MBor 80MB formattedcapacity—
SCSI interface—
30ms averageseektime—
937 kilobyte/secondtransferrateExternal hard disk
—
80MB formatted capacity—
Up tosix persystemInternal diskette
—
800KB formattedcapacity ExternallU inch cartridgetape—
40MBcapacityDisplays
"
12 inch monochrome display—
640x480 pixel resolution—
Displays 16graylevels(256with optional video expansionkit)"
13 inch color display—
640x480pixelresolution—
Displays 16 colors from paletteo{16 million(256 with optional videoexpansionkit)
"21 inch monochrome display
—
1152x870pixelresolutionKeyboardandmouse
"
105 key Apple Extended Keyboardwith Explorer overlays
"
One-buttonmousewith three-buttonemulation Networking
"
AppleTalk® Personal NetworkInterface
"
OptionalEtherTalk" Interface CardSoftware
specifications.Systemsoftware
"
CommonLisp"
Flavors object-oriented system"
Interpreter"
TemporalGarbageCollection"
Adaptive Dynamic Training"
RemoteProcedure Call/ExternalDataRepresentation
" micro
interfaceExplorerroutinestoMacintoshIIDevelopmentsystem software
"
Common Lisp compiler"
Zmacseditor"
Debugger"
Inspector"
Peek utility"
Trace utility"
Windowsystem"
Constraint frame editor"
Zetalispextensions"
Visidoc"
SystemcompactiontoolDevelopmentsystemsoftwaresource
"
Lispsoftware andsourceofprogrammicro
Explorerdevelopmentsystem tools"
Visidoc textbase and indexesOtheroptions
"
TIProlog"
TCP/IP"
Network File System (NFS")MacintoshIIsoftware
"
Systemtools"
HyperCard""
Trainingdisks,
:
Formoreinformation onthe Texas Instruments
micro
Explorercomputersystemor other Explorerfamily members,pleasecontactyourlocal TI
accountrepresentative,orcall 1-800-527-3500,orwrite:
Texas Instruments Incorporated P.O. Box 2909
Mail Station 2240 Austin,TX 78769
Copyright
©
1988 Texas InstrumentsIncorporated
offices:
Argentina(748) 1141 Australia(02)8871122
Belgique/Belgie (02)243 30 80 Canada(416)8849181
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Deutschland
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3508100/2519818 Suomi/Finland
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United Kingdom (0234)224227
Texas Instrumentsreservestherighttochangeitsproduct andserviceofferingsat
any
timewithoutnotice.
Explorer,microExplorer,
Nußus,
Personal Consultant, and MegaChip aretrademarksofTexasInstrumentsIncorporated.
Apple,Macintosh andAppleTalkare registeredtrademarks andHyperCardand EtherTalkaretrademarksofApple
Computer,Inc.NFSisatrademarkofSun Microsystems,Inc.
*
Texas
Instruments
Printed inU.S.A.