9 Sep
2007
9 Sep
'07
1:04 p.m.
Subject: 8-bitters and multi-whatever
From: "Roy J. Tellason" <rtellason at verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:49:03 -0400
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
So I was poking around at bitsavers after snagging those TI databooks, and
stumbled across some files pertaining to TurboDOS. I'd read about that
before, might even have some manual or other on it someplace, but I've
never had the pleasure. I do have one box that was supposed to be a
multi-user system, that being my TeleVideo 816, which had TurboDOS as an
option but the one I have came with something called MMMOST, which I wasn't
all that impressed with. A guy was talking about sending me a tape but that
never happened.
I remember hearing about one or two other packages that were similar (never
mind MP/M, which I've also not messed with and don't get the impression I
want to bother with really), but have never had the pleasure of running any
of them.
A while back I *almost* got a hold of one of those "z80 network in a box"
systems, it wasn't S-100 but something else I can't recall, I think that's
the one I have the book on, but I never did snag it.
Multibus, very nice bus and expensive cards. I have a few multibus cards.
Intel used it in their MDS800 and a few otehrs as well.
Unfortunately instead of RS232 Televideo has something
else going there
(RS422?), not easy to interface too, and they distribute their "network"
out amongst what other Televideo boxes you have, which in my case is none.
I guess with an S-100-based system you could always add more cards, and
somehow or other make it work.
And speaking of the networking aspect of it, do any of you guys know how they
did it? I recall one time getting a glimpse of some system or other that was
S-100 but also had a set of connectors at thet op of each card, which is
what they used for their inter-processor linking rather than trying to push
it through the bus. The reason for this is not apparent to me.
Many ways to do it, using a commmon port or a pool of common memory for
in box networking and serial ports as well. There were also ARCnet, pre
Ethernet and even Ethernet.
I've also seen some "CP/M networking"
stuff referred to that was supposed to
work through serial ports, which pretty many machines had, althogh they
appeared in at least one case to be using diodes to wire-OR RS232 signals,
which doesn't strike me as too terribly robust. And what software support
there was for this wasn't real apparent.
That was a poor mans networking. Basically the serial ports were used as
CD/CSMA bus and there was some protocal like Ethernet but slower and could
use the usually common async chips. I have such a net going for my CP/M crates
and all.
I dunno, I've just got this fascination for
assorted 8-bit parts talking to
each other through some smallish number of wires, I guess it's easier to
deal with than some of the big iron you guys handle regularly, which I can't
afford to go get never mind housing. And I've seen multiple processors used
in stuff already, as in some musical equipment that passed "event
information" from one chip to the next with only a couple of pins, or the
daisywheel printer that had _four_ 804x procesors in it for different
functions.
This is not a new thing.
TurboDOS is neat, and has some good design aspects in
it, but there's too
much legacy stuff in there for being able to run CP/M software, stuff I'd
leave out if it were me and too much emphasis on the same old Console /
Printer / Disk Drives in the system, as opposed to something different or
unique. I found the same thing to be the case when I looked at FORTH, too
much of the usual stuff, and that was supposed to have been used in some
control applications? I must've missed something there...
???? Whats the question or point?
Allison