Dwight, Are you saying that when EPROMs came out, it allowed hobbyists to try their hand at design since their mistakes could be erased and development would not cost them a fortune in PROM chips?
-Dave
Hi Dave
Yes, that is it. One could blow bipolar PROMs but at that time they
didn't have the density that the 2708 or 2716s provided at a lower cost.
Mistakes could be erased and tried again. Boards like the various disk
controllers that needed firmware were practical.
Instead of buying a $15K development machine ( that is what a useful
MDS800 would have cost ), one can get by with a simple S-100 box
and a simple programmer( 2708s were a little harder than the 2716s but
doing 1702s is quite complicated ).
I doubt things would have been anywhere near as far along if the
EPROM had not shown up when it did.
Dwight