Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (07/17/84)
From: Paul Schauble <Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA> I am interested in any comments anyone has on the Dimension 68000 computer system. Has anyone had a chance to use one of these? Does it live up to its claims of compatability with CP/M, Apple, TRS-80, and the IBMPC? How is the hardware reliability? What native software is available?
jon@qusavx.UUCP (Jon Lewis) (07/17/84)
I too have been looking for information on this perfect sounding personal computer which, at least according to the ads, can run virtually any and all software ever created. Yesterday, I stumbled across a journal reviews of the beast which says, it does in fact do what it says it can do, and quite well, too . . . however, you gotta pay the price. Apparently, for each type of software you want to run (CPM, Apple, MS-DOS, TRS, UNIX, and who knows what else) you have to buy a special plug in board priced at $495 apiece. And if you want to run Lotus 1-2-3, you have to upgrade memory to 512K at a cost of $750. Plus the machine comes without a monitor, so more $$ there, and its base price is slightly higher than a base IBM PC. That said, it is supposed to function quite well, comes with C programming language and at least one other language (which I forget, as I was too appalled by the price list for items it didn't have to remember what it did include). It still sounds awful pretty in the ads, but I just don't got da bucks. -Jon Lewis, Quantime Corporation, Cincinnati
jon@qusavx.UUCP (Jon Lewis) (07/17/84)
The ads for this personal computer make it sound quite wonderful indeed, and I have been keeping my eyes open for any articles or reviews about it. Saw the first one last night, in one of those miserable excuses for a computer magazine that are really only forums for publicity displays. Anyway, the information there was that the Dimension was indeed capable of running virtually any software that's ever been developed, BUT . . . you gotta pay for it. The base model does not include a monitor and is priced higher than a base model IBM PC. Then, to make your Dimension compatible, you'll need plug in boards priced at $495 each (one for CP/M, one for MS-DOS, etc), and to run Lotus 1-2-3 you'll need to upgrade memory to 512K, another $750. If you have the money, it sounds like a fantastic product. If, if, if . . . What I'd like to know is why no major journal has looked at this thing yet . . . in last month's BYTE, Jerry Pournelle mentioned seeing it at a recent computer show, apparently his first glimpse of it, and yet Microcraft has been advertising in BYTE for months now.
dave.e@proper.UUCP (Dave Edick ) (07/21/84)
There was a writeup in the Feburary issue of Microcomputing. It really didn't say that much and they admitted that they were using a prototype. It did give a little useful info. Microcraft's exhibit at the West Coast Computer Faire was pure hype. All their people out there were standing around making wonderful claims about the machines which were all sitting at operating system prompts (except for the one with the clear top which wasn't plugged in) I'm still waiting for a real review of the thing. /Dave Edick/ ...!hplabs!nsc!proper!dave.e ...!ucbvax!dual!proper!dave.e