8 Sep
2000
8 Sep
'00
6:12 a.m.
On Fri, 8 Sep 2000, Bruce Lane wrote:
I may have an opportunity to pick up a
"DataPoint" system... the one with
the CPU in one module, storage in another, and they all sit on the floor
(or table -- they're small!) and stack together side-by-side, joined with
bus connectors on said sides? Each module is powered by an external 36VDC
switcher module that runs from standard house power.
Datapoint made some very amazing stuff for their day. I have a whole pile
of "modules" (CPUs, terminals, disk drives, tape drives, etc.) that I got
from a former developer.
I do like what I collect to be useful in some way, so
I'd like to know
what OS's I could use with the system, and if there are any 'gotchas' where
hardware is concerned.
They used a proprietary OS that was explained to me thusly:
It was multi-user and network-centric. When you logged on, your account
specified what nodes and resources on the network (ARCnet!) you could
utilize. And this access was not just limited to your local network, it
was global in scope. So for instance, you could have access to hard drive
storage in location A, a processor in location B, a printer in location C,
etc. The network was like one big homogenous computer.
The OS was apparently very robust. From what I'm told, Datapoint took the
stance that if an application crashed the machine, the application was not
buggy, the OS was! Too bad this correct philosophy is not shared by every
company that makes an OS.
I can probably get the OS from the guy I got my stuff from. He'll
probably even agree to help you get it up and running should you be so
inclined.
Sellam International Man of Intrigue and Danger
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