The PC once was a device useful for a large number of things. As time has worn on, particularly since the advent of Windows, it has become less and less so, until, now, it's easier to use an ARM-based SBC to do what one once did with a PC. Once upon a time, it was straightforward to construct a piece of hardware on an ISA bus board, plug it in, and write 'C' code to drive it. Now, it's virtually impossible. Back in the early '80's it cost about $200 to develop a new bit of hardware. Now, it costs about $2E6 just to get the necessary software tools and put people to work attempting to work around all the hostile features in the OS.

I still maintain a number of DOS-based PC's just for the purpose of using them to drive custom hardware. Of course, I don't build printed-circuit boards for those things, but the PC of 1990 still does the job, even with a '486.

Having everything integrated into the motherboard hasn't been the culprit, but having everything on the motherboard go undocumented, such that it's virtually impossible to use it with custom software, makes the PC an unlikely candidate for development.

Linux doesn't help much either, as it places many of the same restrictions on I/O that Windows does nor does PCI help, as prototyping materials for PCI aren't easily available.

The PC has become a tool for running Windows app's, and isn't of much use for anything else, these days.

It's time to develop a development platform. In the pre-PC days, using one's computer, be it an APPLE-][ or a CP/M box with an 8080 or Z80, was a given. The PC worked in that role for a while, but its day has passed.

Sadly, nothing "out there" will take its place.

RE