alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells) (12/06/88)
I recently posted an article saying that Xerox bought the computer line from GE that was then sold to Honeywell, which then had MULTICS developed on it. In reality, Xerox bought the computer line (the Sigma series was Xerox's name) from someone else (CDC, SDS, something like that ...), then sold it to GE who sold it to Honeywell. My apologies ...
dplatt@coherent.com (Dave Platt) (12/09/88)
In article <1415@cpoint.UUCP> alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells) writes: > > I recently posted an article saying that Xerox bought the computer line from > GE that was then sold to Honeywell, which then had MULTICS developed on it. > > In reality, Xerox bought the computer line (the Sigma series was Xerox's > name) from someone else (CDC, SDS, something like that ...), then sold it > to GE who sold it to Honeywell. > Actually, the situation is even more complex than that! Honeywell ended up buying two entirely separate operations: - the GCOS operating system and the GE 650 (?) processor architecture were purchased from General Electric. Honeywell went on to make the Honeywell 6000, Honeywell 6600, the Level 66, and then the DPS-8 processor lines. NEC in Japan has also acquired the rights to this basic processor architecture, and has been manufacturing processors (e.g. the S-1000) that leave Honeywell's best mainframes in the dust. Honewell is now OEM'ing the NEC processors and is selling them as the top-end DPS-8 machines. I believe [but do not recall for certain] that Honeywell also purchased the rights to Multics from GE at this time. Multics runs on a variant of the GE/Honeywell hardware (a different and somewhat more powerful virtual-memory system is used). - Some years after buying GCOS, Honeywell purchased the rights to the CP-V operating system, and the maintainence business for Xerox's installed base of Sigma 5/6/7/9 computers, when Xerox decided to drop out of the mainframe business. Xerox had originally purchased the Sigma line from SDS (Scientific Data Systems). Honeywell maintained CP-V and the Sigma computers for several years, and developed a new operating system CP-6, which resembled CP-V but which ran on the Level 66 and DPS-8 computers. Having three separate mainframe operating systems under its roof led Honeywell into some very unpleasant turf-battles. As is too often true in this world, the innovative systems (Multics and CP-6) lost out; the Multics development center is no more, and the CP-6 development center is but a ghost of what it was in the mid-70s. [For some good chuckles... pick up "The Zen of Programming", by Geoffrey James. It contains many stories which took place at the CP-6 development center in Los Angeles during the late '70s and early '80s. The story about the developer in the gorilla suit is true... I was there at the time, and saw the gorilla abduct a young & nubile hardware technician and carry her down the corridor over his shoulder.] -- Dave Platt FIDONET: Dave Platt on 1:204/444 VOICE: (415) 493-8805 UUCP: ...!{ames,sun,uunet}!coherent!dplatt DOMAIN: dplatt@coherent.com INTERNET: coherent!dplatt@ames.arpa, ...@sun.com, ...@uunet.uu.net USNAIL: Coherent Thought Inc. 3350 West Bayshore #205 Palo Alto CA 94303
kchen@Apple.COM (Kok Chen) (12/09/88)
In article <1415@cpoint.UUCP> alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells) writes: >... >In reality, Xerox bought the computer line (the Sigma series was Xerox's >name) from someone else (CDC, SDS, something like that ...), then sold it >to GE who sold it to Honeywell. SDS (= Scientific Data Systems) originally built the Sigma-n, n = 5,7,9, etc. When XeroX bought it, it was renamed XDS (Xerox Data Systems). I don't remember GE being in the loop. I had the recollection that after XDS, the Sigma series was peddled by Honeywell. The SDS Sigma-5 was a great number-crunching "mini" with floating point h/w, at a time (late '60s) when most minis had to do floating point with s/w. Anyone else remember RBM ("Real-time Batch Monitor") on it? Some old(-er)timer may know this for sure - didn't Max Palevsky start SDS? Isn't same said person currently on the Xerox board? Er, what does this have to do with comp.sys.next? Kok Chen {decwrl,sun}!apple!kchen Apple Computer, Inc.
leem@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Lee Mellinger) (12/14/88)
In article <1415@cpoint.UUCP> alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells) writes: | |I recently posted an article saying that Xerox bought the computer line from |GE that was then sold to Honeywell, which then had MULTICS developed on it. | |In reality, Xerox bought the computer line (the Sigma series was Xerox's |name) from someone else (CDC, SDS, something like that ...), then sold it |to GE who sold it to Honeywell. | |My apologies ... Scientific Data Systems built the 900 series and then the Sigma series. Xerox then bought them from the founder and chief stockholder, Max Pavlesky. Lee