todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us (Todd Day) (08/14/90)
I'm not sure how much you guys know about the Convergent <==> AT&T connection on the UNIXPC, but it was hot and heavy. My dad (Al Day) was working in the section that did the work on MegaFrame and MiniFrame. His line of work is hard to pin down to a title... Basically, he designs and lays out everything you actually see on a computer, plus takes care of power distribution, cooling, and FCC approvals. Here is what he had to say about his involvement with the UNIXPC: %Not much to say.......I early on worked with a local industrial designer %(stylist) named Mike Nutall from Matrix Design and an industrial designer %from AT & T working out some of the basic styling stuff. Our names are on %the styling design patent......although I'm not sure I want to be associated %with it because of the way the design turned out. We had the early mockups %made at a place in San Jose named The Model Studio. As the project got into %the design stage, a separate division was set up and they hired in a new team %specifically for the program......I elected to stay with my ongoing job %instead of going into the new division. Actually, a very wise decision, as it turned out. The reason it started in his department is that the UNIXPC is simply a MiniFrame on a desk. I remember seeing some mockups that were rejected, but I can't recall what they looked like, exactly. One of them may have been kinda IBMPCish. BTW, the reason the shape was patented is that AT&T patents everything they can. We both think it's kinda silly. My dad was kinda disappointed with the way the design turned out. The flip-top hood design of the inner shield is kinda kludgy, but that was done after they created an entirely new division to service AT&T. Next: my fun summer as a temp worker for Convergent... -- Todd Day | todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us | ucsbcsl!ivucsb!todd "I believed what I was told, I thought it was a good life, I thought I was happy. Then I found something that changed it all..." --- Anonymous, 2112
gnome@cbnewsj.att.com (ronald.l.fletcher) (08/16/90)
In article <1990Aug14.090413.8821@ivucsb.sba.ca.us>, todd@ivucsb.sba.ca.us (Todd Day) writes: > Here is what he had to say about his involvement with the UNIXPC: > > %Not much to say.......I early on worked with a local industrial designer > %(stylist) named Mike Nutall from Matrix Design and an industrial designer > %from AT & T working out some of the basic styling stuff. Our names are on > %the styling design patent......although I'm not sure I want to be associated > %with it because of the way the design turned out. We had the early mockups > %made at a place in San Jose named The Model Studio. As the project got into > %the design stage, a separate division was set up and they hired in a new team Well I like it and so does Hollywood. While I have never seen a PC6300 in a movie or TV show, the UNIXPC (510 terminal also) and its High-tech styling have shown up in several. IMO it looks much nicer than any IBM-PC or clone. The only one I like better is the 6386E WGS tower machine and its fluorescent display, but that is a floor standing machine. The 2 dubious physical design decisions were the almost impossible to access phone jacks on the back and the hidden-by-keyboard floppy drive. > > MiniFrame on a desk. I remember seeing some mockups that were rejected, > but I can't recall what they looked like, exactly. One of them may have > been kinda IBMPCish. BTW, the reason the shape was patented is that ^^^ Well I'm glad that one was scrapped! > > My dad was kinda disappointed with the way the design turned out. The Well tell him there is at least one person out there who really likes it! Ron Fletcher att!mtgzy!rlf