sterling@dasys1.UUCP (Sterling Brown) (08/19/88)
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I was flipping through an issue of BYTE magazine (year 84 I think)
a few days ago and saw an article about a commodore 900 machine. This
machine was supposed to run a UNIX compatible operating system using a
Z800 CPU. When I saw this I was really surprised. This machine looked
remarkably like an amiga 2000 (colors and everything!). What ever
happened to this machine? Does anybody know? And if Commodore already
had that body design in 1984 why couldn't they put the Amiga 1000 into
it in the first place?
On a related subject, the August-88 issue of UnixWorld has a news
segment on page 18. It says in September Commodore plans to unveil a
multiple operating system graphics "personal workstation" to complete
with the Next machine and low-end Sun Microsystem workstations. It
also says that these 68020-based Amiga 2500 and 3000 machines will have
a 40 MEG hard drive 3 MEGS of RAM, and will sell for around $6000. And
the operating systems will be: Amiga-DOS, AT&T System V Release 1, and
MS-DOS, all using a proprietary windowing system.
Lets just see if that is true come September. I for one would
really LIKE to see it but doubt that it will come so soon. Commodore
is still working with the operating system(s). If they have time to
work on 1.3, 1.4 (simultaneously), and spit out new hardware, HEY!,
MORE POWER TO THEM!! But I hope this is not another Commodore 900
story.
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\===========================\ /===========================/
\ Sterling L. Brown........ \ / "When I'm Programming /
\ \ / MSDOS, I'm thinking /
\ Amiga Programmer \=============/ of Amiga."-I said it. /
\ MSDOS Programmer /
\================\ `The Human Opperating System' /================/
A // Serious \ CIS: 71101,616 /Multifinder.status=
\\ // Amiga \ USENET: sterling@dasys1 / "don't make me laugh!";
\\/ Programmer \=========================/ OS2->bites=Amigas.Dust;sneakers@heimat.UUCP (Dan "Sneakers" Schein) (08/21/88)
In Message <6044@dasys1.UUCP>, sterling@dasys1.UUCP (Sterling Brown) writes: > I was flipping through an issue of BYTE magazine (year 84 I think) > a few days ago and saw an article about a commodore 900 machine. This > machine was supposed to run a UNIX compatible operating system using a > Z800 CPU. When I saw this I was really surprised. This machine looked > remarkably like an amiga 2000 (colors and everything!). What ever > happened to this machine? Does anybody know? And if Commodore already > had that body design in 1984 why couldn't they put the Amiga 1000 into > it in the first place? The Commodore 900 ran Coherent (a Mark Williams Co. product) and it did use a Z800 cpu. As for looking like a 2000, I never really thought about it but yea I guess it kinda did. The machine was designed and a few were even built. Operating systems were installed and everything looked like a go - then CBM decided not to produce & market it. Why? I could never get a real answer. > \ Sterling L. Brown........ \ / "When I'm Programming / -- Dan "Sneakers" Schein {alegra|amiga|rutgers|uunet}!cbmvax!heimat!sneakers Sneakers Computing 2455 McKinley Ave West Lawn PA 19609 Call: BERKS AMIGA BBS 24 Hrs - 3/12/2400 Baud Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed are 40 Meg -=- 215/678-7691 those of Sneakers Computing Of course heimat is an Amiga, doesn't everyone run UUCP & UseNet on an Amiga?
jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz) (08/23/88)
In article <6044@dasys1.UUCP> sterling@dasys1.UUCP (Sterling Brown) writes:
)============================================================================
)
) I was flipping through an issue of BYTE magazine (year 84 I think)
) a few days ago and saw an article about a commodore 900 machine. This
) machine was supposed to run a UNIX compatible operating system using a
) Z800 CPU. When I saw this I was really surprised.
That was a Z8000. Now, I don't really know whereof I speak on this (perhaps
the few, the proud, the survivors can comment), but one angle on this
is that that product died when Commodore bought the Amiga. I've heard
disagreement with this claim, but I just wanted to say that I got my
job at Amiga when a C900 windows guy refused to transfer from West Chester
to Los Gatos, but knew a guy who would fit in just fine ...
) This machine looked
) remarkably like an amiga 2000 (colors and everything!). What ever
) happened to this machine? Does anybody know?
Well, they still lurk about here and there. Funny, the similarity between
the C900 and A200 cases.
) And if Commodore already
) had that body design in 1984 why couldn't they put the Amiga 1000 into
) it in the first place?
Perhaps because the words Commodore and Amiga didn't flow so smoothly
off the tongue in one word at that time as they do now.
You'd be surprised how many relics from C900 live on in the Amiga world
today. (No you guys, I didn't mean to call you relics.) It rears its
head not only in the case engineering, but in the A2024 monitor, and
god knows what else.
) On a related subject, the August-88 issue of UnixWorld has a news
) segment on page 18. It says in September Commodore plans to unveil a
) multiple operating system graphics "personal workstation" to complete
) with the Next machine and low-end Sun Microsystem workstations. It
) also says that these 68020-based Amiga 2500 and 3000 machines will have
) a 40 MEG hard drive 3 MEGS of RAM, and will sell for around $6000. And
) the operating systems will be: Amiga-DOS, AT&T System V Release 1, and
) MS-DOS, all using a proprietary windowing system.
I think the unix is being done by another relic.
) Lets just see if that is true come September. I for one would
) really LIKE to see it but doubt that it will come so soon. Commodore
) is still working with the operating system(s). If they have time to
) work on 1.3, 1.4 (simultaneously), and spit out new hardware, HEY!,
) MORE POWER TO THEM!! But I hope this is not another Commodore 900
) story.
I don't think it's another C900 story. The A2500 is well known to be
an A2000 with internal expansion and a unix port. You've seen it at
shows, it is larger than a breadbox. Hopefully, software and hardware
will continue to be two separate but cooperating groups (probably will
if we don't refer to the HW guys as relics).
) \ Sterling L. Brown........ \ / "When I'm Programming /
jimm -- relic of the future.
--
Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing
amiga!jimm BIX:jmackraz
Opinions are my own. Comments regarding the Amiga operating system, and
all others, are not to be taken as Commodore official policy.daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie) (08/26/88)
in article <2783@amiga.UUCP>, jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz) says: > You'd be surprised how many relics from C900 live on in the Amiga world > today. (No you guys, I didn't mean to call you relics.) It rears its > head not only in the case engineering, but in the A2024 monitor, and > god knows what else. > ) It also says that these 68020-based Amiga 2500 and 3000 machines will have > ) a 40 MEG hard drive 3 MEGS of RAM, and will sell for around $6000. And > ) the operating systems will be: Amiga-DOS, AT&T System V Release 1, and > ) MS-DOS, all using a proprietary windowing system. The A2500 system is currently based around a machine with 5 megs of RAM and a 100 meg drive. Though it would probably run OK on the machine you mentioned. The UNIX is System V, Release 3.1, being done here at CBM by some relics of the A800 project. And that windowing system looks amazingly like the C900 windowing system. > I think the unix is being done by another relic. Actually, a few of them. > ) Lets just see if that is true come September. I for one would > ) really LIKE to see it but doubt that it will come so soon. September's probably a bit early for the software to be release, but all the hardware necessary to make an A2000 into an A2500 should be released in September. > ) Commodore is still working with the operating system(s). If they > ) have time to work on 1.3, 1.4 (simultaneously), and spit out new > ) hardware, HEY!, MORE POWER TO THEM!! But I hope this is not > ) another Commodore 900 story. > I don't think it's another C900 story. The A2500 is well known to be > an A2000 with internal expansion and a unix port. You've seen it at > shows, it is larger than a breadbox. Also, there's a difference between "can't get it working" and "cancelled by the administration". The C900 did fall into this second category. And we do have separate folks working on separate machines. I do Amiga hardware (along with a few others here), we also have separate groups working on PClones, UNIX software, and Amiga software. There's cooperation between the groups, and occasional crossovers, but it's not like Jim or Andy have to stop working on 1.4 so they can go design a new chip set or anything like that. > Hopefully, software and hardware will continue to be two separate but > cooperating groups (probably will if we don't refer to the HW guys as > relics). Hey, it wasn't just HW guys on the C900 project. And I've been here longer than the C900 guys. You certainly don't think of me as a relic, do you? Jim? .... > ) \ Sterling L. Brown........ \ / "When I'm Programming / > Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing > amiga!jimm BIX:jmackraz -- Dave Haynie "The 32 Bit Guy" Commodore-Amiga "The Crew That Never Rests" {ihnp4|uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: D-DAVE H BIX: hazy "I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"