bobh@unicorn.WWU.EDU (Bob Hayes) (12/28/89)
Seems we need our own personal silicon fabs...Then we know where ALL the blame should rest :-). Main question: Is there an *FTP* archive of National programs? My old ICM3216 boardset runs SysV.2 and feels outta touch. Beowulf and mailers between don't like my uucp mailer's style, so that didn't work. Thanks for any hints for FTP-able sources. *#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#**#* Bob Hayes bob@arthur.wwu.edu * Opinions? Real programmers carry screwdrivers! * You thought these (hardly ever use em, tho. :-) * were opinions?
sward@cfa.HARVARD.EDU (Steve Ward, CF) (12/29/89)
From article <389@unicorn.WWU.EDU>, by bobh@unicorn.WWU.EDU (Bob Hayes): > > > Main question: > Is there an *FTP* archive of National > programs? > Bob Hayes bob@arthur.wwu.edu Well, as far as I know, Beowulf is it, and it is NOT an ftp'able site but uses an automated mailer system. Beowulf worked fine prior to Bob Bownes relocating himself and his machine. Since his move there have been problems which appear to generally be not of hiss making. Talk to Bob Bownes at Beowulf via email for specific info oo on the operations and fate of Beowulf as a 32K archive server. I have decided to put a 32K software archive online sometime during the month of January. Access will be via ftp, only. I am only promising that I will place the archive online and give it a trial run. If it turns out to be a personal tribulation I reserve the right to instantly back out! I also reserve the right to stretch out the "grand opening" to sometime in February, though January is quite likely. I won't say more now, and shouldn't have said this much, as it is NOT ready to go, though I do have most, if not all, of what Beowulf has, and probably a few things it does not have, in the way of 32K software. Anyone who can reach MIT or Harvard across the internet for ftp should be able to reach the machine I'll be using. The machine I will use is NOT yet on the internet, but will be soon. Anyone who has software to contribute (source code) can contact me now via email at ward@cfa.harvard.edu If there is a demand, for those who cannot access the archive via ftp, I will consider providing 32K software on PC format floppies at the bare cost of floppies and shipping, as long as this demand is not too large. Watch this newsgroup for further news sometime in January. It was heartening to read the words from the Tektronix 32K designer. I was beginning to think that virtually 100% of those evaluating or using the 32K family in their products felt that National management has not provided adequate support to their generally excellent technical sales and engineering personnel in the 32K arena. I know customers and some "other" interested parties have expressed the feeling of being "put on hold" or "abandoned" with respect to commitment of financial resources, taking critical product and marketing decisions, etc. This sort of criticism is subjective, at least to a point. Some of these criticisms have actually surfaced in trade rags and business newspapers, and certainly there were (hopefully are no longer) many problems that were real. This subject is quite fascinating. I suggest that Mr. Levy doth protest too much. I also happen to be a "fan" of the 32K family, though National has had to struggle, and so their 32K customers, well beyond the normal pain and suffering, of a microprocessor designer and user, though Tektronix is apparently well pleased. Of course, bigger outfits with deep pockets are generally funding their own software development and hardware development, including such things as basic development tools (assemblers, compilers, debuggers, monitors, chip and circuit evaluation boards, etc) while those who buy in "tensies" from distributors try to find such things, preferably cheap, up and running on the infamous PC/XT platform, and also hope for lots of company support for generating, sponsoring, or promoting the creation of such low to medium cost support development items. Other vendors have done quite well (heck, Moto even has an excellent software BBS) in this area, creating a positive "bandwagon" atmosphere (there is a lot to be said for subjective feelings and confidence) while National never has been able to exude such a positive aura in the 32K arena. Sure, National was late to market, had some silicon problems, had one major architectural design disaster (eliminated direct interrupt vectors in favor of the vector/module table stuff that is too kindly categorized as "bells and whistles") and was too focussed on the Unix workstation market policy- and fiscal-wise, but went about pursuing the Unix market well behind the competition in a way that guaranteed failure, at least as far as National's own Unix boxes were concerned. Hey, I still love the 32K chips, and thankfully the people "in the trenches" at National were and are great, in all respects. Now let's see, where did I put all my e-mail correspondence, especially those replies and communiques from National people over the last couple of years..... :-) (panic not, I said CONFIDENTIAL, I meant it!) ward@cfa.harvard.edu ?
bdale@col.hp.com (Bdale Garbee) (01/04/90)
I have a few things on col.hp.com in ~ftp/bdale/532-group. I'd be more than willing to house more bits. Does anyone have a clean copy of the contents of the beowulf archive? I'd be happy to make the stuff available... Bdale