byard@dca-eur.ARPA (08/13/84)
Date: 13 Aug 1984 11:25:57 Z Text: Nice that it does all of those older machines/technology. Bet it can't emulate a Mac. Larry
CC.Otken@UTEXAS-20.ARPA (08/13/84)
From: John Otken <CC.Otken@UTEXAS-20.ARPA> I am not absolutely positive that the machine was a Dimension 68000 but it was a machine quite similar (emulates apple, ibm, etc).. Anyway the story goes: I went to a CP/M-UG meeting in Houston a few months back. One of the machines on demonstration was (probably) a Dimension 68000. I listened to the rep. going through all of the various features of the machine. At one point he was asked about mainframe communications. He went into this claim that the machine could communicate with ANY machine using ANY protocol. The rest of the conversation went something like: ME: "I seriously doubt that." HIM: "Sure it can." ME: "How do you do it?" HIM: "With translation tables." ME: "WHAT?" HIM: "Our machine uses THE [sic] standard serial protocol. The secret is we use translation tables to handle the various protocols." ME: "Could you give a more technical description?" HIM: "Sure. The table is at address C000. The serial port is at 30." ME: "Wait! That is not what I was asking for." HIM: "Look, you said you wanted a technical description. If you want to be technical, I am going to have to talk HEX." ME: "I don't think we are communicating..." HIM: "Well, that's because we have an Engineer talking to a User." ME: "Sure, if that makes you the User." HIM: "NO! I am the Engineer." ME: "OK, can this machine communicate with an IBM 370?" HIM: "Sure." ME: "How?" HIM: "Like I've been telling you -- over the standard serial protocol using a translation table." Fortunately, the place closed and I was saved from the intellectual torture of an extended conversation with this clown. John. -------
POURNE@mit-mc.ARPA (08/16/84)
From: "Jerry E. Pournelle" <POURNE@mit-mc.ARPA>
Welcome to t he INvasion of the Product Snatchers...
Date: Mon 13 Aug 84 11:34:03-CDT
From: John Otken <CC.Otken at UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
To: info-cpm at BRL.ARPA
Re: Dimension 68000
I am not absolutely positive that the machine was a Dimension 68000 but
it was a machine quite similar (emulates apple, ibm, etc).. Anyway the
story goes:
I went to a CP/M-UG meeting in Houston a few months back. One of the machines
on demonstration was (probably) a Dimension 68000. I listened to the rep.
going through all of the various features of the machine. At one point he
was asked about mainframe communications. He went into this claim that the
machine could communicate with ANY machine using ANY protocol. The rest of
the conversation went something like:
ME: "I seriously doubt that."
HIM: "Sure it can."
ME: "How do you do it?"
HIM: "With translation tables."
ME: "WHAT?"
HIM: "Our machine uses THE [sic] standard serial protocol. The secret is
we use translation tables to handle the various protocols."
ME: "Could you give a more technical description?"
HIM: "Sure. The table is at address C000. The serial port is at 30."
ME: "Wait! That is not what I was asking for."
HIM: "Look, you said you wanted a technical description. If you want to
be technical, I am going to have to talk HEX."
ME: "I don't think we are communicating..."
HIM: "Well, that's because we have an Engineer talking to a User."
ME: "Sure, if that makes you the User."
HIM: "NO! I am the Engineer."
ME: "OK, can this machine communicate with an IBM 370?"
HIM: "Sure."
ME: "How?"
HIM: "Like I've been telling you -- over the standard serial protocol
using a translation table."
Fortunately, the place closed and I was saved from the intellectual torture
of an extended conversation with this clown. John.ABN.ISCAMS@USC-ISID.ARPA (08/20/84)
Lots of people are looking at the Dimension because they NEED to do things the "older machines/technology" were doing! But maybe a little faster, a little more, etc., PLUS the new things newer machines/technology can do. Unfortunately, I am hard pressed to be able to say what a Mac CAN do! For sure, there doesn't appear to be too much programming going on! I simply have not been convinced that the necessary tools are available, AND that the Mac can in fact do the things that Apples, IBM PCs, CP/M, etc. have been doing so well (and in so many, many different ways) over the past few years. No way I can recode all the possible utilities and applications available RIGHT NOW and owned RIGHT NOW by my users for a Mac -- and even if I could -- what's the Mac gonna be compatible with? Regards, a contented CP/M /8-bit owner... David Kirschbaum Toad Hall
ABN.ISCAMS@USC-ISID.ARPA (08/20/84)
Pssst, John -- Do you think I could get one of them there "translation tables" for my Toad? I already got a standard serial protocol. (I think.) (Kidding aside - thanks for the insight into our enterprising commercial world!) Regards, David Kirschbaum Toad Hall