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From: mikes@sir-alan.UUCP (Mike Squires)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy,comp.unix.xenix
Subject: XENIX 3.2 for Tandy 6000
Message-ID: <287@sir-alan.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 4-Jul-87 11:11:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: sir-alan.287
Posted: Sat Jul  4 11:11:12 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 7-Jul-87 01:37:56 EDT
Organization: Allegheny College, Meadville, PA
Lines: 57
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.tandy:344 comp.unix.xenix:444


I have received the following information from a reliable source about XENIX 3.2
for the 16/16b/6000 and hardware mods that would support XENIX 3.2.

First, the announcement made at the Tangent conference concerning XENIX 3.2
had the following information: 

1.  3.2 will run on 6000's and 16/16B's.

2.  3.2 will support graphics on the 26-4104 graphics card.

3.  There are two hardware mods for the CPU.  There is a new CPU card running
    that can support 7MB (using a 68000, apparently); there is also a mod for
    the old CPU card that will support up to 4MB.  There are also speed mods
    for the Z80 (to 6MHz) and the 68000 (to 12MHz).

The problem is that the 6000 eats the 3000 for lunch with the speed mods; Tandy
wants to standardize as an IBM clone house and wants users to move from the
16/6000 to the 3000.  The release of all of these things would make that
unlikely.  I note that the IBM PS/2 models 50/60 are only 10% faster in
Dhrystones than a 6000; the PS/2 is a 10MHz no wait-state 80286 system and
the 3000 must be slower than that.  Also, IBM carefully engineered the AT
to make multi-user operation difficult (lack of interrupts for more than
two ports) and systems that emulate it will also have problems. XENIX 3.2
on even a 1MB system outperforms XENIX on the 3000, by the way.

4.  No 6000's have been made for a year; the latest sale includes a "internal
    drive installation kit" which appears to be Tandy flushing the production
    buffers for the 6000HD.  There is a nonzero chance that the 6000 will be
    dropped over the summer and blown out the door in the fall.

If anyone wants to write to Tandy, write Kent Roberts (Tandy 6000 Buyer);
Graham Beachum (VP, Business Products) at 1500 Tower 1 Tandy Center FW TX
76102 or John Roach (CEO) 1900 Tower 1 Tandy Center FX TX 76102

If anyone out there in Tandyland is listening they should know that they have
been steadily losing their user base not to AT clones but to 68010/68020 UNIX
boxes, such as the Tower.  Personally I suspect that my next system will be
a 80386 "clone" (how do you clone a nonexistent machine?) running Microport
UNIX 386 (currently shipping, $800 for whole system). What other company
would throw away  a user base of 200,000 machines?

By the way, if you want copies of notes on (a) modifying 256K DRAM cards to
1MB dram (b) installing non-Tandy ST506 or SA1000 drives in 16/6000's (c) 68K
XENIX versions of JOVE (EMACS - also alleged to compile and run under SCO
XENIX V) or other things, drop me a line.

Michael L. Squires                       Office: 814-724-3360
Department of Political Science          Home: 814-337-5528
Allegheny College                        ubbs: 814-333-6728 300/1200/2400
Meadville, PA 16335
 
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