merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (04/15/87)
I recently received an advertising flyer for a pair of new
Unix systems. They are
MPulse model 10, $2995:
68000 microprocessor, 12MHz
68000 dedicated to I/O (2 processors total)
2M ram
50M disk, scsi interface, 28ms
800k 5-1/4 floppy
external SCSI port
8 serial ports
Unix system V, 2-user license
MPulse model 20, $4995:
68020 microprocessor, 16MHz
twin 68000 dedicated to I/O (3 processors total)
4M ram
2M disk cache ram
50M disk, scsi interface, 28ms
800k 5-1/4 floppy
60M cartridge tape
external SCSI port
8 serial ports
Unix system V, 2-user license
Looks neat, huh? Anybody have any experience with these yet?
They're produced by
Logic Process Corporation
10410 Markison Road
Dallas, TX 75238
1+ 214 340 5172
--
David S. Hayes, The Merlin of Avalon PhoneNet: (202) 694-6900
UUCP: *!seismo!sundc!hqda-ai!merlin ARPA: merlin%hqda-ai.uucp@brl.arpaemrozek@ecsvax.UUCP (Ed Mrozek) (04/17/87)
In article <339@hqda-ai.UUCP>, merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: > > I recently received an advertising flyer for a pair of new > Unix systems. They are > > MPulse model 10, $2995: (read the blurb) > MPulse model 20, $4995: (read the blurb) > Looks neat, huh? Anybody have any experience with these yet? I called today to get additional information. If I remember the discussion, there are approximatley 200 of the model 10 in user's hands and about 40 of the 20's out in the field. They will substitute a 100M disk for both of the units for an additional $1500.00. They have a "spare-in-the-air" type maintenance arrangement (sorry, I didn't ask the cost on this). They were quite comfortable with my request for refs. Until I saw the blurb I had never heard of them.
geller@eli.UUCP (04/19/87)
In article <339@hqda-ai.UUCP>, merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: > MPulse model 20, $4995: > 8 serial ports > Unix system V, 2-user license What's the deal here? Do they have a wrangled init and getty to limit the number of people logging in? David Geller Electric Logic, Inc. Washington, D.C.
jfh@killer.UUCP (04/22/87)
In article <339@hqda-ai.UUCP>, merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: > > I recently received an advertising flyer for a pair of new > Unix systems. They are > > MPulse model 10, $2995: > 68000 microprocessor, 12MHz > 68000 dedicated to I/O (2 processors total) > 2M ram > 50M disk, scsi interface, 28ms > 800k 5-1/4 floppy > external SCSI port > 8 serial ports > Unix system V, 2-user license > > MPulse model 20, $4995: > 68020 microprocessor, 16MHz > twin 68000 dedicated to I/O (3 processors total) > 4M ram > 2M disk cache ram > 50M disk, scsi interface, 28ms > 800k 5-1/4 floppy > 60M cartridge tape > external SCSI port > 8 serial ports > Unix system V, 2-user license > > Looks neat, huh? Anybody have any experience with these yet? > They're produced by > > Logic Process Corporation > 10410 Markison Road > Dallas, TX 75238 > 1+ 214 340 5172 > > -- > David S. Hayes, The Merlin of Avalon PhoneNet: (202) 694-6900 > UUCP: *!seismo!sundc!hqda-ai!merlin ARPA: merlin%hqda-ai.uucp@brl.arpa Yes - I was the Technical Support Analyst for Pinnacle Systems, Inc. last year prior to a layoff. Pinnacle Systems owns Logic Process Corp and TDI Software, (who sells P-System and Modula-2 for these machines) I don't care for the management much, but these machines are some of the fastest 68000 and 68020 based machines I have ever used. My current employer uses Plexus P/60's and Plexus P/35's which cost 10+ times more and run slower. The 68000 box (Mpulse 10, b.k.a. Pinnacle XL) will support 8 users. In fact, it will support 16 or 20 users, if you want to buy another 8 port serial card ($900 at last look at a price sheet). If you really want some high tech hardware, this is about as good as it gets. The chief engineer at this place is one John Bremsteller. I would get your orders in soon as this company most likely won't be around much longer unless you do. (Of course, if you get your orders in soon enough, they will be around longer...) The Unix port is nice. The 020 has virtual memory. Very few Berkeley enhancements - just some old stuff I wrote years ago. Where the ones they ship came from other than what I wrote is anyones guess (Stride 440's run Unix right? Nudge, Nudge...) I would watch for bugs in the serial I/O. No software besides the Utilities. Some stuff is available by way of various back doors. I don't know how legal selling Stride Silicon Valley compilers is, but all of them seem to work. Uniplex II+ also runs, and it is pretty nice. Anybody want to know anything else about these guys? They really make nice hardware, if only the management knew what to do with it ... - John. Disclaimer: I speak only for me. Even before they laid me off I only spoke for me.
jfh@killer.UUCP (04/22/87)
In article <2926@ecsvax.UUCP>, emrozek@ecsvax.UUCP (Ed Mrozek) writes: > In article <339@hqda-ai.UUCP>, merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: > > > > I recently received an advertising flyer for a pair of new > > Unix systems. They are > > > > MPulse model 10, $2995: > (read the blurb) > > MPulse model 20, $4995: > (read the blurb) > > Looks neat, huh? Anybody have any experience with these yet? > > I called today to get additional information. If I remember the discussion, > there are approximatley 200 of the model 10 in user's hands and about 40 of the > 20's out in the field. They will substitute a 100M disk for both of the units > for an additional $1500.00. They have a "spare-in-the-air" type maintenance > arrangement (sorry, I didn't ask the cost on this). They were quite > comfortable with my request for refs. > > Until I saw the blurb I had never heard of them. They do have a few machines out there. Mostly Pinnale 1A's. The Model 10 is probably a relabled Pinnacle XL and the 20 is most likely a relabled Pinnacle XL020. As for 200 of the Model 10's, I don't think they built 200 of the XL's before this hoopla, and I don't think they ever had 40 020 boards made, much less sold (last count, XL's were at about 90 or so, and 020's were about 10.) The spare-in-the-air maintenance is called 'exchange maintenance' and works quite well. Unfortunately they laid off the guy that handles that this week. You guess what is broken, and they FED-EX one out next day air. You return the broke one by SNAIL-MAIL or whatever. As for never-heard-of-before, they sell about 90+% of their machines in Europe. And they do have some large users. The big problem is PC's are too popular here in the states, and their market in Europe is drying up. As an aside, these systems do run CP/M 68K - Contact TDI software at the same address (or +1 214 340 4942). I don't know if they have any licenses left still. They also run the P-System, for all that is worth, in fact they run P-system and Unix concurrently. (Why, you ask ?) - John. (jfh@killer.UUCP) Disclaimer: I speak for myself. I really did work for these guys, but they never listened, and know I don't speak for them anymore.
root@hobbes.UUCP (John Plocher) (04/23/87)
+---- David Geller writes the following in article <210@eli.UUCP> ---- | > MPulse model 20, $4995: | > 8 serial ports | > Unix system V, 2-user license | | What's the deal here? Do they have a wrangled init and getty to limit | the number of people logging in? +---- In a word, yep. ATT has a 'new' licensing agreement: 1-2 users and 3+ users. The MicroPort SV I have has this; init and getty are the only 2 things which are different. Uuuggggh. Remember that an incoming uucp is treated as one of those users! -- John Plocher UUCP: <backbone>!uwvax!uwmacc!hobbes!plocher ============== Internet: plocher%hobbes.UUCP@uwvax.WISC.EDU FidoNet: 121/0 BITNET: uwvax!uwmacc!hobbes!plocher@psuvax1
mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus J Ranum) (04/27/87)
> [...] ATT has a 'new' licensing agreement: 1-2 users and 3+ users. > The MicroPort SV I have has this; init and getty are the only 2 things which > are different. Uuuggggh. Remember that an incoming uucp is treated as one of > those users! If the things come w/ a 'C' compiler, how hard is it to write a new init and getty... ? Or is there something else they don't give you that keeps you from doing that ? There are PD inits around, I am sure. --mjr() -- If a million monkeys program a million IBM PCs for a million years, they will write something much better than MS-DOS. It will probably run faster, multitask, and really support wildcards. User support will be dramatically improved. -me
ado@elsie.UUCP (Arthur David Olson) (04/27/87)
> > [...] ATT has a 'new' licensing agreement: 1-2 users and 3+ users. > > The MicroPort SV I have has this; init and getty are the only 2 things which > > are different. . . > If the things come w/ a 'C' compiler, how hard is it to write a new > init and getty... ? Or is there something else they don't give you that > keeps you from doing that ? Yes, there's something else they don't give you: legal permission. Your licensing agreement is for 1-2 user system. -- UUCP: ..seismo!elsie!ado ARPA: elsie!ado@seismo.CSS.GOV Elsie and Ado are trademarks of Borden, Inc. and Ampex.
jfh@killer.UUCP (John Haugh) (05/06/87)
The vendors could make it worse. It is possible to compile a kernel that will not let more than 2 TTYs be open at a time. Can you imagine logging in and working with a raw serial device? And since isatty() would return false, alot of stuff wouldn't even work ... - John.