[comp.sys.atari.st] full unix for ST?

john@cooper.cooper.EDU (John Barkaus) (11/26/87)

Hi,

	The September 1987 issue of ST Applications mentions an interesting 
program.  It is described as a 'full-blown 11/780 Vax-Unix-like system' 
running on a 520 ST.  This product is made by A.N.D. Corporation of New Orleans.It is supposed to be a real time Unix system that is multi-user
(up to 8 terminals) and multi-tasking.  Does anyone know anything else about 
it? I think it would be great to have full Unix on the ST.  Please respond 
directly to me, or if you think it is worthwhile- post responses(comments, etc.)to the net.


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khh@root.co.uk (Keith Holder) (11/30/87)

In article <1141@cooper.cooper.EDU> john@cooper.cooper.EDU (John Barkaus) writes:
>It is described as a 'full-blown 11/780 Vax-Unix-like system' 
>running on a 520 ST.  This product is made by A.N.D. Corporation of New Orleans.It is supposed to be a real time Unix system that is multi-user
>(up to 8 terminals) and multi-tasking.  Does anyone know anything else about 
>it? I think it would be great to have full Unix on the ST.  Please respond 
>directly to me, or if you think it is worthwhile- post responses(comments, etc.)to the net.
>
>

Hi,
	About a year ago , I started a UniPlus+ * V.2 port for the ATARI ST. 
This port was completed in February 1987. However , it needed some hardware 
assists for UniPlus+ to work at all. The machine had a basic MMU , which 
consisted of a base and a limit register which only operated in USER mode ; 
the kernel was mapped straight through. Also , one needed a minimum of  
1 megabyte of physical memory , 40 megabytes of disk space , since a full 
UniPlus+ distribution is about 30 Megs.
	Additionally , the company which commissioned the port added a serial
multiplexor to the RS232 port . This supported up to 16 additional channels ,
but could just about cope with 8.
	This port was a full UNIX* V.2 swapping port , but for hardware reasons 
did not support shared memory or  read-only text ( no MMU protection). 
The stack was fixed size ( determined at link time ) but you could 'sbreak'
as much memory as was physically possible.
	The port was commissioned by a company in Switzerland . However , the
reason that it was not publicised , was that  they were only interested in
a cheap M68000 board to run UNIX , whilst deliberately omitting the fact that it
was an Atari ST machine.They believed that their potential customers would 
not take too seriously a "business" machine manufactured by a company
who specialised in games machines.

			keith holder.

UNIX	is a registered trademark of AT&T
UniPlus+ is a trademark of UniSoft Systems Corporation.

The above remarks are my own personal beliefs and not that of my company.
-- 
--
Keith Holder, Systems Programmer, ROOT-UniSoft Group.
<khh@root.co.uk>	G1ITH	Fax:	(01) 726 8158
Phone:	+44 1 606 7799 Telex:	885995 ROOT G	BT Gold: CQQ173

cs2551as@charon.unm.edu (cs2551as) (12/20/87)

Once upon a time there was some discussion in this area about MINIX being
ported to ST.  Has it yet.

MINIX is a UNIX lookalike developed for use in University operating systems
classes.  It is currently available for IBM PC/XT/AT type machines.  The source
code comes with the package.  It is available for around $110.00 including
manual from Prentice-Hall.

I think the ST could really use a low cost multi-tasking system as the 
commercially available products are much more costly.

Anyway has anyone have any recent news of MINIX for the ST.

diana eichert