dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) (06/24/86)
x I have a friend who has a Rainbow 100. Sorry if its been covered before but... What is the level of compatibility between the Rainbow and the IBM PC. Can the Rainbow read PC floppies ? Can the Rainbow in general run PC programs ? Are there hardware or software solutions which can improve its PC compatibility ? Thanks. Cheers, Dan Ts'o Dept. Neurobiology Rockefeller Univ. 1230 York Ave. NY, NY 10021 212-570-7671 ...cmcl2!rna!dan rna!dan@cmcl2.arpa
movshon@acf8.UUCP (06/26/86)
Dan Ts'o writes:
I have a friend who has a Rainbow 100. Sorry if its been covered
before but... What is the level of compatibility between the Rainbow and
the IBM PC. Can the Rainbow read PC floppies ? Can the Rainbow in general
run PC programs ? Are there hardware or software solutions which can improve
its PC compatibility ?
The answers ...
1. The Rainbow is about as un-compatible with the IBM PC as an 8088
based MSDOS machine can get. Sorry. The Rainbow will run any generic MSDOS
software, including stuff that relies on an ANSI screen interface, but
little or nothing that is tailored for the IBM PC or clones.
2. The Rainbow can read IBM floppies, as long as they are single-sided,
double density (make 'em on a PC with the "format /1" command). The Rainbow
"mediachk" function must be "on" (the default). If the floppies were for-
matted on a quad-density drive (like an AT's), then the Rainbow can write
them as well. The latest release of DOS 2.11 helps this disk exchange
process a lot.
3. There are no hardware solutions to the Rainbow/PC incompatibility
that I know of. Many programs, however, exist in Rainbow versions or can
be adapted to run on the Rainbow, so the situation is by no means hope-
less. The best place to go looking for public-domain stuff is the archive
on DEC-MARLBORO, which is maintained by Bernie Eiben of DEC's LCG. This
system is available for file transfer via anonymous FTP, and can also be
logged in to using the login "log lcg.kermit kermit". I have the phone
number somewhere for the dialup lines, but can't presently lay my hands
on it ...
4. As I've observed before on the net, the failures of compatibility
that the Rainbow suffers are nearly always because it is *better* than
the PC. If the PC were "Rainbow-compatible", it would be a better machine.
So it goes.
Tony Movshon
arpa: movshon@nyu
uucp: ...{seismo|ihnp4|allegra}!cmcl2!xp!tony
usps: Department of Psychology, NYU
6 Washington Place, room 1083
New York, NY 10003
at&t: (212) 598-2818iav1917@ritcv.UUCP (alan i. vymetalik) (06/28/86)
[Just ignore the line eater! Don't honor it!] In article <508@rna.UUCP> dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) writes: > > I have a friend who has a Rainbow 100. Sorry if its been covered >before but... What is the level of compatibility between the Rainbow and >the IBM PC. Can the Rainbow read PC floppies ? Can the Rainbow in general >run PC programs ? Are there hardware or software solutions which can improve >its PC compatibility ? > > Dan Ts'o > ...cmcl2!rna!dan > rna!dan@cmcl2.arpa Dan - Yup it's been covered before but that was before new product announce- ments and developments occurred... This is a little bit of helpful info for any DEC Rainbow owners out there... The Rainbow's "level of compatibility" with the IBM PC (in it's basic form) is pretty much limited to "straight", non-IBM ROM-BIOS-calling MS-DOS programs. Programs that make use of strange key assignments and screen control won't work unless control-character key sequences that mimick the same special function key sequences are included. Not many programs there. Graphics... Well, that's right out... Sob... And, that limited subset of programs gets weeded even further unless you place the program on a SINGLE-sided disk. Now, I have had luck reading IBM-formatted single-sided disks but the preferred method is to use the Rainbow to format said disks and transfer the data and programs from the IBM PC to those disks. (notice we're discussing PC/PC-XT disks...) Ok, fine. Most likely 95% of the time: How are you going to tell if an IBM PC program is "generic" MS-DOS? Guess. Read the very fine print in the documentation. Or, have a colleague tell you. None of these procedures are totally adequate. A lot of programs, however, work fine on the Rainbow and SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on companies that do not advertise this fact! Companies could raise their profits by mentioning that their software works on MS (not only PC)- DOS machines! So, over the last year a number of solutions have appeared on the market. For a machine everyone thinks is "dead", there are more hardware and soft- ware companies providing enhancements to the Rainbow than ever before. DEC still has the machine in production! DEC would like to forget the Rainbow. They marketed it POORLY. It is a very sophisticated and well-designed machine. (How many International Design awards has the IBM PC won?) DEC got burned and would probably love it if they could make people forget about it. FAT CHANCE. There are too many out there to simply vanish. BTW, DEC has received more orders for Rainbows over the last 6-9 months than they have had in the same period in years past. DEC is simply not sure how or what to do about this situation. Enough about DEC's foibles... Several companies now offer HARDWARE solutions to the IBM-compatibility issue. Notably, Disk Tech One produces the RB-Link and RB-Link, Jr. line of PC-interface devices. The Jr. is simply an add-on box to let the Rainbow user get a hold of cheaper IBM harddisks and double-sided floppy units. Also, the Jr. provides access to the 3Com Ethernet board. The user can then get to data and generic programs (there's that "generic" word again. Martha, where's the shotgun?!) on PC-formatted media without any hassle. The RB-Link, on the other hand, is a full PC-XT box with interface hardware and software that lets the user do everything the Jr does plus have all those extra expansion slots for all that wonderful PC hardware out there. GRAPHICS INCLUDED. The hardware/software link lets the Rainbow user transfer data and programs from/to the Rainbow's/PC's floppies/hard disks and uses the high-quality DEC monitors and keyboard on the Rainbow and switchs between the two machines by hitting the F20 key. Full IBM keyboard mapping and even the 25TH LINE is on the Rainbow monitor! Complete with horrible IBM-flicker scroll...! Side note: My, where have I seen that NEW PC-AT keyboard before? (Not in the ads for IBM's ASCII terminal...I mean...) Another side note: Unless you're a research PC user or lab-techie, how many people NEED to have 8 parallel/4 serial/game port/EGA/384K/ 80x87/ethernet/vt100 emulator/ combo boards???? Give me a break... Ok, one more: DEC's Rainbow had an "EGA" board before IBM even thought about releasing one for their PC. The Rainbow's 800x240 graphics board can put up graphics that shame a PC. Maybe it can't do animation as fast but it can make the pictures LOOK better. DEC had all this AND a great flicker-free VT100 & graphics machine all the while IBM was trying to fix its Commodore-64K-clone machine. Why buy a PC with an inefficient VT100 emulator program or hardware board when you can have the real (well, almost real) thing!? More stuff... Suitable Solutions, Inc. produces the IDRIVE which acts very much like the RB-Link Jr. sans expansion slots. They are also releasing an internal half-height version. Dan Pleasant has released (accidently) a (now) Public-Domain program originally called DIBEM (Dan's IBm Emulator) which provides roughly 65% IBM-software compability. You get an IBM-PC program on double- density, single-sided IBM disks or quad-density Rainbow disks and invoke the emulator with the PC-program as a command arguement. The last PD version is 0.3 and is available on many DEC-oriented FIDO BBSs. Sometime soon DEC will be releasing (rumor mill here) this program under the name "CodeBlue". It will be faster and support more software than the PD version and will, reportedly, cost under $100. I have heard it runs Lotus-123 Release 2, PC-File, the Norton Utilities, and literally SCORES of PC-programs with NO modification. It will not support graphics. That's asking a bit much. So, Flight Simulator is out! It handles nearly all of the IBM special function key arrangements and, yes, even manages to run SideKick very nicely, thank you. Currently, that's all I have confirmed reports on. I know of several rumored items in the works but I cannot release any info on them. However, CSH, Inc. of New Hampshire and Computer Products International of CA are currently producing Rainbow hard disk/controllers/drives of up to 360MEG (CPI, Inc.) and these controllers support from 2 (CSH) to 4 (CPI) hard disks. Rainbow Data Systems now produces two clock/ calender/8087 boards. Rainbo ClockWorks also produces a clock/calender board for around $120. Duncan McDonald, Inc. produces a 10MEG cartridge tape backup system for the 100+. National Instruments makes an IEEE-488 interface board. Univation has a whole series of RAM boards, ethernet boards, and disk systems for the Rainbow. Rumor has it that Wendin, Inc. (makers of PC-UNIX and PC-VMS) will release version for the Rainbow soon...due to a demanding bunch of people out there!) From DEC: DEC, through Tecmar, will be producing a CD-ROM controller and drive for the Rainbow. They also have a thin-wire Ethernet board soon to be available. DECnet-DOS. And, DEC fought with Lotus and a Rainbow 100 version of 123 Release 2 is due out soon. An enhanced version of Ashton-Tate's DBase III is coming out about the same time. And, FOR TRUE COMPATIBILITY, keep an eye open for the VAXMate AT-compatible due to be announced at the Euro-DECUS meeting in early September. The machine LOOKS MARVELOUS (sorry Billy). There are others but I can't remember everything.... Now, to PC fans, this may seem terribly small. Well, there's a difference between quality and quantity. True, there is a lot of quality out for the PC, but having to wade through all the garbage out there is a bit daunting. While the new add-on products for the Rainbow are few in number, the quality is consistently high and the devices well-engineered. Disclaimers: I am not associated with any of the mentioned companies and provide no services nor intentional advertising for them. I pass along this info to help Rainbow users. Any rumors or any other such related items are simply that: rumors. Copyrights: Any product names mentioned are trademarks of the companies well-recognized as their creators.... Anyone wishing addresses and prices (I don't have all these things memorized!), send me a mail message at any of the addresses below. Also, if you have any questions or need help for software/hardware support for the Rainbow, feel free to contact me. All stupid flames to /dev/null, thank you... Comments, valid criticisms, and Rainbow questions are invited... Enjoy! Alan ================================================= Alan I. Vymetalik Prism Software Designs (formerly AVSD, Ltd.) 646-1 University Avenue Rochester, New York, 14607-1232 uucp: {allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!iav1917 bitnet: aiv1974@ritvaxd =================================================
jso@edison.UUCP (07/08/86)
In article <11120001@acf8.UUCP>, movshon@acf8.UUCP (Tony Movshon) writes: > The best place to go looking for public-domain stuff is the archive > on DEC-MARLBORO, which is maintained by Bernie Eiben of DEC's LCG. This > system is available for file transfer via anonymous FTP, and can also be > logged in to using the login "log lcg.kermit kermit". I have the phone > number somewhere for the dialup lines, but can't presently lay my hands > on it ... > Tony Movshon The number is (617) 467-7437. There is another "public login" that might interest some people: log lcg.customer customer John Owens @ General Electric Company (+1 804 978 5726) jso%virginia@CSNet-Relay.ARPA [old arpa] jso@virginia.EDU [w/ nameservers] jso@edison.UUCP [w/ uucp domains] {cbosgd allegra ncsu xanth}!uvacs!edison!jso [roll your own]