----------------Original Message:
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:14:16 -0800
From: Gene Buckle <geneb at simpits.com>
Subject: Cromemco Unix?
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Odd Cromemco system:
http://cgi.ebay.com/CROMEMCO-SUPER-MICROCOMPUTER-VINTAGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ…
I've never seen this machine before. I had no idea Cromemco was into Unix.
g.
---------------Reply:
Nothing odd about it; they'd had Cromix, a sort-of-UNIX available on their
Z80 and 68000 systems since around 1980, but by the mid-80s they finally
cried uncle and made UNIX systems available with the x20 series, essentially
the same S-100 boxes as the older ones, i.e. a 120 was essentially an
upgraded System 1, a 220 an upgraded CS-2 (Z-2) and the 320 was the
System 3 (8" FD), all with slightly changed styling, a 68010 or 68020 with a
68881, minimum 2MB, minimum 9 ports and an external DC600 tape drive.
They also brought out a new CS-400/420 tower version with the tape drive built in.
The x00 series were essentially the same systems but running Cromix, although
since they were S-100 systems you could put whatever cards you wanted into
them and run whatever you wanted, even CP/M or CDOS (their CP/M clone),
although with the later CPU boards without a Z80 those programs ran on the
Z80 in the I/O processor.
I believe there was also a 4000 Mammoth running parallel 68030s on the VME
bus, although I don't have one and have never even seen one.
I've got two of the 420s sitting on my verandah gathering snow; wonder what
the cold'll do to the infamous rollers in the tape drives...
I could dig out some old price lists if anyone's interested in the available models.
mike
I'm having a clear-out of a load of old stuff that I'm no longer using
(or in some cases acquired and never used). Of interest to this list:
* MCA SCSI RAID card, Mylex DAC960M, known working about four years
ago. no driver disks, no box, no anti-static bag, no cables, no
nothing.
* VAXstation 3100, not powered on since I acquired it. external SCSI
cable.
* miscellaneous Sun external SCSI boxes which might even have working
disks in 'em.
All free to good homes. New owner to collect in south London, or I can
deliver the MCA card in central London. I won't ship anything.
If you want any of it, please contact me by private email. Anything
not gone by the end of the month will be thrown away.
And somewhat off-topic, if anyone knows where I can get a DVI-to-SCART
converter so I can attach a Mac Mini to a TV, do please let me know.
--
David Cantrell | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david
fdisk format reinstall, doo-dah, doo-dah;
fdisk format reinstall, it's the Windows way
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Gene Buckle <geneb at simpits.com>
> Odd Cromemco system:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/CROMEMCO-SUPER-MICROCOMPUTER-VINTAGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ…
> oryZ56084QQihZ010QQitemZ200074941857QQrdZ1
>
> I've never seen this machine before. I had no idea Cromemco was into Unix.
>
> g.
>
>
Yes, they did have sys V in the later years. I have both Cromix
and system V systems here.
Jerry
Jerry Wright
JLC inc
g-wright at att.net
Is there anyone near Fairfield, New Jersey who would be willing
to palletize three lowboy computer cabinets and several boxes of
docs and media onto two pallets and optionally drive them to a
nearby truck freight terminal? I'm willing to compensate for
your time.
Thanks,
De
>It's all in how and who you ask. [...]
yes you are right. I was lucky to talk with the right person in BYTE
when I asked for permission to put up on the www.series80.org web
site the BYTE review of the HP-85. The person was very polite and
helpful and I got the permission with a minimum of hassle.
**vp
ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote:
>>> "William Donzelli" <wdonzelli at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > Jim Willing was one of the pioneers in this computer collecting
hobby
>>> > (I apply pioneers to those of us that were doing this seriously over
>>> > ten years ago - before this list, and before there even was a
hobby).
>>>
>>> Cool! I'm a pioneer, having collected these things for close to 25
years.
>
> Even longer than me. I started in May 1986 (yes, it'll soon be 21 years
> of computer collecting here ;-))
Started playing with a PDP-11/40 in 1982 or 1983 in a computer club at
that time. We also had some other very odd hardware that we tried to get
working and had fun with. No software, but we had a few peripherials, so
we had to write our own monitor just using the front panel. And of
course we had all the drawings for the machine. And we were always
trying to get someone to donate more stuff to us. And of course, my
school at the time used a PDP-11/70, and at nights I was hanging out at
the nearby university, where they had a whole bunch of DEC-10 machines
on which I could get guest accounts.
By 1986 I got my first two PDP-8 systems home.
Almost wish I was back in those days. So much fun. And some really odd
hardware was still around and possible to get your hands on... I wonder
what happened to the VT05 terminals that we managed to get, and that I
hacked to get rid of the margin bell... :-)
>>> Well, I'm not sure I would call it collecting in the normal sense
of the
>>> word. I want to keep these machines running, useable, and in use.
>
> Just like me again. I keep on saying at HPCC that I am not an HP
> calculator collector. Yes, I have old HP calculators (handhelds and
> desktops), but I use them. I keep them operational, I do program them, I
> do use them for calculators. And I don't try to obtain every cosmetic
> version (that is, with differnt position of the serial number label,
> etc), but I am interested in at least seeing versions with substantially
> different internals (like the 2 very different logic boards that were
used in the HP80 financial calculator).
Still have my HP-41 around, and it's still my all time favourite. I must
admit I have collcted some odd hardware for it over the years that I
don't really use much though... But it's a rather hacked CX with modules
built into it, and some nice stuff around. :-)
> No, I am not intersted in having machines on the shelf in original
> condition. I want to be able to sue them, investigate them, and so on.
We think alike. :-)
Johnny
I quite agree some classic computers have an internal beauty but some
have an external beauty that is almost art-like. My vote goes to the
Coleco ADAM as it's beauty lies both in its internal/external
construction. What is deeper than that I'm not sure...!
Happy computing!
Murray :)