ospwd@emory.UUCP (Peter Day {EUCC}) (02/24/86)
Does anyone have any experience with the Transcendental Operating
System (TOPS) from Centram Systems West? One of the schools here
is proposing to get it. It supposedly links Macintosh, IBM-PC and
VAX (OS not specified), allowing any to be used as file server to
the other. For example, the Mac could store MacPaint on an XT's
hard disk and execute it from there.
Any information I could obtain (other than vendor literature)
would be appreciated. Please reply to me directly.
Peter W. Day
Computing Center
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322
404/329-7678
{akgua,sb1,decvax,gatech}!emory!ospwd
ospwd%emory@csnet-relaygregory@rtech.UUCP (Gregory Pearson) (02/27/86)
> Does anyone have any experience with the Transcendental Operating > System (TOPS) from Centram Systems West? One of the schools here > is proposing to get it. It supposedly links Macintosh, IBM-PC and > VAX (OS not specified), allowing any to be used as file server to > the other. For example, the Mac could store MacPaint on an XT's > hard disk and execute it from there. > > Any information I could obtain (other than vendor literature) > would be appreciated. Please reply to me directly. > Yes, I have experience with TOPS, which stands for the Transcendental Operating System. I've used it on networks with Macs, Mac xls (aka Lisa), IBM/xt & ats, compaqs & an ITT at equivalent. Macs are connected with just appletalk connectors & need only the software to "mount", "publish" & effectively use the resources of other macs; for macs -> pcs <-> other macs, a card is required on the pc side. What is particularly fun about this network is that it is a distributed file server network wherein accessing the hard disk of the ibm/[a-x]t's disk looks, to the mac user, just as if he/she were accessing just another hard disk attached to his/her own local mac. The ibm files, directories & subdirectories appear as mac icons. Similarly, from the pc side, mac files look just like regular ibm/[pc or ms]-dos files. What TOPS allows is not just file transfer or downloading from 1 format to another, but actual inter-operating system connectivity and the ablilty to use all the resources in an office or small working group. And since TOPS does not rely on a dedicated server, you need not invest large sums of money to enable all the machines in your environment to talk to each other, to share & update data, etc. If I am not mistaken, Apple & Centram are co-marketing TOPS for the mac and it is going into Beta testing now; Centram is also starting Beta for the Mac-PC TOPS. For more information, why don't you call them or drop them a line. Their address is 2372 Ellsworth AVe. Berkeley, CA94705 (not sure of zip), and their phone # is 415-644-8244. > Peter W. Day > Computing Center > Emory University > Atlanta, GA 30322 > 404/329-7678 > {akgua,sb1,decvax,gatech}!emory!ospwd > ospwd%emory@csnet-relay *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
cjn@calmasd.UUCP (07/12/86)
Has anyone used the Tops sysem yet? Any comments?