early networking (was Re: G4 cube (was Re: 68K Macs with MacOS 7.5 still in production use...))

[js at cimmeri.com]

On 9/14/2016 8:50 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
> On 14 September 2016 at 03:08, Chuck Guzis<cclist at sydex.com>  wrote:
>> There were networking packages for the PC early on.  Remember Banyan? They date from 1985. Corvus?  Even Datapoint had an ARCnet facility for PCs in 1984. Quite a few vendors had 802.3 capability.  Networking, however disorganized, was a very hot thing by 1987.
>
> This is quite interesting in terms of an Europe/NorAm divide.
>
> I entered the business in 1988. After 25y in support, working on
> thousands of systems in half a dozen countries, from 2-man outfits to
> multi-billion-dollar multinationals, no, I never ever saw any systems
> whatsoever running:
> * Banyan VINES
> * Corvus
> * ARCnet
> * LittleBigLAN
> * The $25 Network
>
> (Obviously, I've heard of them.)
>
> To this day, I have never once used any form of NFS or ever seen it in use.
>
> However, I routinely worked with:
> * 3Com 3+Share
> * Sage MainLAN
> * Personal Netware
> * Netware Lite
> * DEC Pathworks
>
> Most of these never seem to get mentioned in Stateside comms.
>
> Odd.
>

I too started in 1988, doing the same kind of work (mid-Atlantic region, USA), same number and types of places.  Just to compare:

* Banyan VINES    (never saw)
* Corvus          (saw once)
* ARCnet          (saw many times)
* LittleBigLAN    (never heard of or saw)
* The $25 Network (never heard of or saw)
* NFS             (there were SUNs at the-then NBS (Bureau of Standards)
                   (but I rarely encountered UNIX anywhere)

* 3Com 3+Share    (saw only one place -- at NASA Goddard)
* Sage MainLAN    (never heard of)
* Personl Netware (never saw)
* Netware Lite    (never saw)
* DEC Pathworks   (saw only two places -- NASA G and NBS)

Most frequently worked with:
* Netware 3.x&  4.x
* Lantastic
* Windows / Microsoft

- J.