1 Oct
2013
1 Oct
'13
11:34 a.m.
/delurk
Hi all
Do we have a Fortune 32:16 guru on the list? I've searched the
archive and there's some stuff back in 2005 but that's about all I could find.
Reason I'm asking is I unearthed the disks I copied off the
university's Fortune 32:16 back in 1987/88, so I ImageDisked them.
But there's pretty much no information on the hardware out there.
Seems to be an interesting system, Z-80 running I/O, TTL memory
manager, some kind of PAL playing copy protection... would be a pity
if the details have been lost.
W
2 Oct
2 Oct
10:08 a.m.
On 10/01/2013 11:34 AM, Wouter wrote:
Do we have a Fortune 32:16 guru on the list? I've
searched the archive
and there's some stuff back in 2005 but that's about all I could find.
Reason I'm asking is I unearthed the disks I copied off the university's
Fortune 32:16 back in 1987/88, so I ImageDisked them. But there's pretty
much no information on the hardware out there.
Seems to be an interesting system, Z-80 running I/O, TTL memory manager,
some kind of PAL playing copy protection... would be a pity if the
details have been lost.
I remember Fortune--I did some contracting for them in the early 80s.
That encryptions is probably one of the reason that these systems aren't
more popular with collectors.
--Chuck
3 Oct
3 Oct
3:30 p.m.
________________________________
From: Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com>
To: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 10:08 AM
Subject: Re: Fortune 32:16
On 10/01/2013 11:34 AM, Wouter wrote:
Do we have a Fortune 32:16 guru on the list? I've
searched the archive
and there's some stuff back in 2005 but that's about all I could find.
Reason I'm asking is I unearthed the disks I copied off the university's
Fortune 32:16 back in 1987/88, so I ImageDisked them. But there's pretty
much no information on the hardware out there.
Seems to be an interesting system, Z-80 running I/O, TTL memory manager,
some kind of PAL playing copy protection... would be a pity if the
details have been lost.
I remember Fortune--I did some contracting for them in the early 80s.
That encryptions is probably one of the reason that these systems aren't
more popular with collectors.
--Chuck
I do have one here that has been known to work.? If I remember right,
when you install the software, the machine wrote to the floppy some
kind of Machine ID. From then on only that machine could? re-use the software.
I had many sets of software and remember getting the warning that the software
I was installing was for a different machine.? Some Floppies had? Machine ID
numbers hand written on them also.?
- Jerry
4 Oct
4 Oct
12:43 p.m.
On 10/03/2013 03:30 PM, Jerry Wright wrote:
I do have one here that has been known to work. If I
remember right,
when you install the software, the machine wrote to the floppy some
kind of Machine ID. From then on only that machine could re-use the software.
I had many sets of software and remember getting the warning that the software
I was installing was for a different machine. Some Floppies had Machine ID
numbers hand written on them also.
What I remember (I was contracted to do the B&W terminal firmware) is
that the Fortune people enjoyed an almost incestuous relationship with
the staff at Sun. Fortune was very well-funded nearly from the outset
thanks to a $22/share IPO very soon after startup, which surprised a lot
of people. CEO Gary Friedman was more of a salesman than a geek and was
bounced out soon after the IPO (the object of several lawsuits).
Friedman had come from Itel, which had also gone belly-up.
Fortune died sometime before 1990, probably due to the proliferation of
80286 and 80386 cheap PCs.
Around 1981-83, there were lots of starry-eyed people with visions of
conquering the world with Unix running on the 68000. Anyone remember
Plexus, for example?
--Chuck
1:06 p.m.
On 10/4/2013 12:43 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Fortune died sometime before 1990, probably due to the
proliferation
of 80286 and 80386 cheap PCs.
Around 1981-83, there were lots of starry-eyed people with visions of
conquering the world with Unix running on the 68000. Anyone remember
Plexus, for example?
--Chuck
Callen Data? I was at their liquidation, one of Ross/Dove's first big
forays into tech liquidation. Actually met the Dove family.
I have a lot of software for these systems somewhere. I know Al K also
recently picked up a nice system. With some luck my box of Callen
hardware survived.
They had a 68000 unix kill the world system. When liquidated, they had
100k sq ft warehouse with maybe 100 WIP systems. I don't know how many
ever made it out the door.
i came in thru ACP which was tapped for expertise in schlocking IC's and
maximizing the stock they had.
They had also invested a fortune in welded steel tooling to turn out
gobs of systems, then I suspect couldn't sustain the model.
I think they were way up in Thousand Oaks, or some horrendous drive from
Orange County, anyone remember?
Also they added a pile to my Drivtec pile because by that time Drivetec
scrap had been proven to be hard to sell @ $1 / drive and the original
alure of the media, that it was AT high density compatable had passed
with the dropping of prices of such 5 1/4" media.
Also had a lot of nice SCSI QIC drives.
Never met the company people, this data is all from the wake / funeral.
The place was vacated about a week b4 I got to see the place.
Jim
5:07 p.m.
On 10/4/13 1:06 PM, Jim Stephens wrote:
I have a lot of software for these systems somewhere.
I know Al K also recently picked up a nice system.
Did you end up with any documentation? They redid all of the original SUN board designs
and had their own
floppy disk and 5" winchester controller boards. I have a tarball from the machine I
had back in the 80's.
The one from treasurehunters that I just got is missing the keyboard.
7 Oct
7 Oct
8:12 a.m.
Our library has the Field Service Manual and Training Manual for Fortune 32:16
http://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/signin?libraryname=LCM
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf
Of Jim Stephens
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 1:06 PM
To: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Fortune 32:16
On 10/4/2013 12:43 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Fortune died sometime before 1990, probably due to the
proliferation
of 80286 and 80386 cheap PCs.
Around 1981-83, there were lots of starry-eyed people with visions of
conquering the world with Unix running on the 68000. Anyone remember
Plexus, for example?
--Chuck
Callen Data? I was at their liquidation, one of Ross/Dove's first big
forays into tech liquidation. Actually met the Dove family.
I have a lot of software for these systems somewhere. I know Al K also recently picked up
a nice system. With some luck my box of Callen hardware survived.
They had a 68000 unix kill the world system. When liquidated, they had 100k sq ft
warehouse with maybe 100 WIP systems. I don't know how many ever made it out the
door.
i came in thru ACP which was tapped for expertise in schlocking IC's and maximizing
the stock they had.
They had also invested a fortune in welded steel tooling to turn out gobs of systems, then
I suspect couldn't sustain the model.
I think they were way up in Thousand Oaks, or some horrendous drive from Orange County,
anyone remember?
Also they added a pile to my Drivtec pile because by that time Drivetec scrap had been
proven to be hard to sell @ $1 / drive and the original alure of the media, that it was AT
high density compatable had passed with the dropping of prices of such 5 1/4" media.
Also had a lot of nice SCSI QIC drives.
Never met the company people, this data is all from the wake / funeral.
The place was vacated about a week b4 I got to see the place.
Jim
4046
days inactive
4052
days old
6 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
aek＠bitsavers.org -
cclist＠sydex.com -
CyndeM＠livingcomputermuseum.org -
g-wright＠att.net -
jws＠jwsss.com -
wrm＠retro.co.za