HFISCHER@USC-ECLB.ARPA (04/22/84)
From: Herm Fischer <HFISCHER@USC-ECLB.ARPA>
I am in posession of some documentation which first strikes me as
preposterous, yet makes some claims which need to be taken seriously,
so this is a request for feedback from net-readers who either have
direct knowledge of the product, or perhaps know of some of the folks
developing it.
The advertisement which attracted my attention stated that:
"Unix is a Dinosaur,
CP/M & MS-DOS are Toys"
... and that Multi-Solutions, Inc's "S1" is "the World's first 4th
generation operating system". Features like portable, modular,
multiuser, multitasking, multiPROCESSING(?), parallel processing(?),
networking, windowing, and UNIX Source Compatible!
My interest became less casual because they advertize Ada and Lisp
compilers "WITH EXTENSIONS" available in August, for the Z80. For more
information I guess I was supposed to send money, so I am concerned.
As you can see from the price list, they say I can have the same OS
with C, Modula-2, and Ada, running on the 68000, Z80, 8085, and
8086/88. Since my company builds embedded military products based on
the Z80, with the edict that microprocessor software must be in Ada
["DoD Report to Congress", Study Annex], and with all my friends
laughing at the viability or marketability of an Ada for a Z80...
In the following list, everything is "available now" (according to the
brochure which solicits my order), except for the Ada and LISP, which
are available in August (according to the first page) and September
(according to the last page).
Price List
68000 Z80 8085 8086/88
S1 OS with all utilities
OEM $850 $300 $200 $400
Pre-configured 950 375 250 495
"C" (K&R) 350 195 175 275
Modula-2 350 195 175 275
Ada + "extensions" 700 475 425 575
LISP 350 195 175 275
User Manual $45 \
Progr. manual 100 } system and language orders
Mod-2 manual 45 } are shipped with manuals
Ada manual 75 /
Does anybody have the manuals????
Reading the expensive linnen-textured fancy "document" they sent me
would lead me to think they have an operating system kernel, but I
cannot see how it would be supportive of Ada "tasks" with the
primitives they supply.
Then, if Unix is a Dinosaur, since Unix has tons of "utilities" like
UUCP, UUX, Mail, snazzy editors, N/TROFF, SCCS, Lex, YACC, Graphics
workbench, PIC, etc etc., is theirs mean and lean without the
equivalent utilities? Or, since they are "Unix Source Compatible",
will all unix utilities be portable to it? Will UUCP or my YACC
Ada grammar run on it (on the Z80 or 8088)?
If you want to sleuth,
Multi Solutions, Inc.
Suite 207
123 Franklin Corner Rd.
Lawrenceville, N.J. 08648
609/896-4100
I'd really like a net-reader who lives nearby to drop in and report
back!
Herm Fischer (HFischer@eclb, ..{trwrb,cepu}!litvax!fischer)
-------chris@mddc.UUCP (Chris Maloney) (04/30/84)
Rumor has it that "S1" will end up on some IBM machine in the near further. Chris
mats@dual.UUCP (Mats Wichmann) (05/02/84)
If all of you with S-1 brochures read it VERY carefully, you will note that we
are one of the hardware vendors listed for which the software is NOW available.
I have not seen the software either; nor do MultiSolutions have a machine
that they got directly from us (there are other ways to obtain them). I
do however, have a complete set of manuals (four large binders), and they
look quite well done (compared, say, to standard UNIX manuals). I, too,
am interested in more information about this product - after all, it is
suposed to be available on my equipment!!!! Has ANYBODY seen it?
Mats Wichmann
Dual Systems Corp.
...{ucbvax,amd70,ihnp4,cbosgd,decwrl,fortune}!dual!mats