>
>Subject: RE: The Origins of DOS
> From: "Chandra Bajpai" <cbajpai at comcast.net>
> Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 11:10:20 -0400
> To: "'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>
>How big was the TRS-80 Market to support all thoses DOSes?
In the first year of sales the total was over 250,000 units. I'd suspect
that by in year three (1981) there were at least 25-50,000 of those capable of
supporting a disk and possibly more.
The big three of disk based systems were:
CP/M (multiple platforms)
Apple (appledos)
TRS-80 (TRSDOS, Newdos, LDOS)
NS* Horizon (s100) NS*DOS (also cp/m)
Not in any order. There wer others but volumes were generally far lower.
>I remember when NewDOS/80 and I just remember it being fast. Any idea who
>wrote that?
That was the Apparat version if memory serves.
Allison
>-Chandra
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
>On Behalf Of Fred Cisin
>Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 10:24 PM
>To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
>Subject: Re: The Origins of DOS
>
>On Fri, 27 Oct 2006, Warren Wolfe wrote:
>> [TRS-DOS]
>> It was its own universe, Jim. The links and questionable parentage
>> of the original version of DOS are tied directly to CP/M, which was the
>> first O/S for personal computers that any significant number of
>> businesses embraced. And, Windows came out of the DOS world, and now
>> dominates as few products have dominated before. (Note: I am NOT
>> claiming this is a GOOD thing.)
>>
>> From what I can tell, TRSDOS was not a rip-off of anyone's software,
>> and nobody bothered to rip it off, so it's pretty much out of the world
>> of O/S scandal.
>
>There WERE several imitators of TRS-DOS (although still for TRS-80),
>including NEWDOS, DOSPLUS, and the semi-legitimate offspring LDOS.
>
>> It actually was pretty decent, and had a few ideas of
>> merit that didn't make it into the mainstream world for a while. It was
>> just totally tied to Radio Shack computing, and suffered a mortal wound
>> when IBM came out with their PC. No fault of its own.
>
>Rasio Shack AVOIDED expanding TRS-DOS into other semi-related hardware
>platforms.
>
>--
>Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com
I was just watching "Building the Ultimate" on the Science Channel. They
were explaining how truckers use high-tech communications systems. They
showed a portable terminal that drivers use inside the cab and .... it
looked quite similar to a Convergent Workslate!
Anyone else see that?
One of my H960's actually came to me with a fan already installed in the
top. I have a few loose fans, and my other H960 has no fan so I'm getting
ready to install one of those condor fans in my H960. I am wondering if the
H960 fans at the top are supposed to pull air in, or push air out? I'm more
interested in how DEC actually shipped them rather than "it'll work either
way".
I checked my H960 and it's set to pull air in from the outside downward into
the rack. Of course I have no way of knowing if that's how it originally
was, or if some collector/scrap person put it in backwards themselves.
Anyone set me straight on this? I suspect that's how it's supposed to be
given the channel on top for an air filter of some type.
Also, I'm working on the last H960 for my collection, and I have leftover
one of the antitip feet that stick out the front. If you're standing in
front of the front of the rack facing it - it's the right leg. Anyone wants
it - cost = shipping.
Jay West
I have a PDP-11/34a UNIBUS system, and the RL11 controller just died on me.
I haven't a spare RL11 to diagnose it with, so I've been toggling in whatever
test programs I can find.
The RL02 drives I have, the cables and the packs are all verified good by
booting and testing them on an 11/53 system.
The symptoms are as follows:
o No drive will boot. CPU halts.
o Using vtserver, I can copy the first 8 blocks from any drive back to the
vtserver host, but then fails on block 8 with HNF (Header Not Found) in
the CSR. Always block 8 (blocks 0 thru 7 always read fine).
o A toggle-in oscillating head positioner test code (from the manuals) seems
to audibly indicate the head carriage is moving back-and-forth continuously.
o The machine seems otherwise unaffected. I can toggle in and test basic
machine functionality for memory, CPU, interrupts, etc.
It seems quite certain that I have a RL11 controller that has stopped working properly.
Not having any other UNIBUS disk systems or any way to boot XXDP, I can't do any further
testing.
The machine and disk were working fine, and I was even running diagnostics on it when the
failure occured.
My question is this: Is such a sector addressing failure at all common enough that
someone could suggest replacing one or more components on the RL11 controller before
I try to obtain a replacement and chuck this one into the trash?
Perhaps someone has a working controller they could sell?
Thanks in advance,
-scott
staylor (at) smedley (dot) mrynet (dot) com
At 05:37 PM 10/28/2006 William Donzelli wrote:
>>OK, so how much floor space does his largest computer use?
I worked with he IBM 7030 (stretch) many years ago and it took up a
very large room certainly much more than 500 sq ft. It was enormous.
Hi folks,
I unfortunately lost access to the net last
Sunday/Monday when my Dreamcast (model
HKT:3010 (Hong Kong)) started resetting itself
randomly (usually every 5-10 seconds). Despite
having another one (partially broken - the GD
disc drive doesn't work), a model HKT:3000
(Japanese), I was unable to sort the problem
out.
I did opened up the spare one as a test run
and gave it a good clean out. I checked it
still worked and, apart from the GD disc drive,
it did. I opened up the one I had been using
and, apart from a dead spder in there, it
wasn't at all dirty.
I looked over the connections and did
everything I could to try and get it working
again. It still resets itself randomly, making it
pretty useless other than for spare parts.
I have borrowed my dads one (model HKT: 3030
(UK/Europe?)) so I can get back online and
get a new one from eBay :)
While poking around inside the Dreamcast
games consoles I noticed some familiar
components which I has seen similar versions
of in my Amiga.
The first one is what I have dubbed the "power
towers" and they look like vertical batteries.
Usually come in groups of 5. Can anyone tell
me there name and/or what they do?
The second thing is the erm... plastic(?) "polo
mint" that has what appears to be copper
wire wrapped around it. Can anyone give me
(or send me in the right direction to find)
any information on it.
Thanks in advance,
Andrew B
aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk
As far as the origins of DOS: How many of you have read the chapter on
Gary Kildall in "They Made America," by Harold Evans? A used copy can now
be had for cheap (bookfinder.com or amazon.com). Evans used Kildall's unpublished
memoir as one of his source documents. Of course, folks can always take issue with Kildall's
memory (or slant on things), but in the book, Kildall claimed that he _did_ strike a deal
with the IBMer's (including a hand shake -- after returning from his prior engagement with
Godbout[iirc]). If Gary's story was accurate, well, then this story would be one of the
largest cover-up's in the latter 20th Century. Like someone was kind enough to mention
on this discussion group, a year and a half ago, Paterson is suing Evans. Grab a copy of
the book. It's an amazing story. I cherish my copy...
And while we are on the topic of rumors(or perhaps, facts): It's rumored that the Caldera suit
(the one that started out as primarily a complaint about M$'s "aard code" (which was pretty much
the death knell for DRI) -- ended up morphing into something far greater. It's alleged that the
original complaints (by Kildall) were contained in the documentation that Ray Noorda got
when he purchased rights to DR-DOS (and related software. eg: CP/M). It's alleged that
it was incredibly damning evidence that M$ wanted to keep surpressed at all costs. In very
early 2000, Caldera did win its case for a undisclosed amount (I know that there are readily
available figures of the award, but some have stated that those figures were intentionally
low-balled).
True? I don't know, but I sure wish I had access to the 937 _BOXES_ (not pages) of
documents that were shredded. It does seem a little _odd_ that these historic documents
would be so conveniently turned into toilet paper.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/05/22/sco_pulps_calderams_trial_archives/
I hope the truth eventually comes to light, but I'm not counting on it. Meanwhile,
it sure is interesting...
Regards,
Robert Greenstreet
On monday I am having 100 gallons of anti-fouling paint and two
Killowat linears delivered to the house. There is no room in the
garage. Today we are cleaning it out.
My wife sais, "you havent used it in 5 years junk it." I agreed.
Then I started picking things up and saying, "This is a good computer"
My wife says, "you havent used it since 1962, junk it." She is
right.
I have boxes of software and software and hardware manuals which I
estimate it would take me 3 days to catalog and put on ebay or offer
on this list. It will take less than 4 hours to carry it all to the
curb. AND I need the space monday, not a month from now.
I have boxes of laser printer parts and VGA cards and all manner of
CPUs and chips. They are all going.
I have boxes of pin feed paper that its easier to haul to the curb. I
have boxes of books that weigh to much to ship.
How do I quiet my consience that keep screaming at me, "Someone would
really like this."?
If there ia anyone in the Corpus Christi area that is interested, the
trash man wont be here till Wed and if it doesnt rain, some of this
stuff has value.
I have a 10 car garage and there are only 5 cars in it and I dont have
space for 100 gallons of paint!!!
--
Jim Isbell
"If you are not living on the edge, well then,
you are just taking up too much space."
