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From: vanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Unix PC Questions
Message-ID: <464@pttesac.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 19-Jul-87 16:28:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: pttesac.464
Posted: Sun Jul 19 16:28:14 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jul-87 22:39:58 EDT
References: <28949@rochester.ARPA> <31200001@ccvaxa>
Reply-To: vanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers)
Organization: Pacific*Bell ESAC, San Francisco
Lines: 92
Keywords: 3B1/PC7300 sale vendors VARs
Summary: Where to get cheap PC7300s or 3B1s

In article <31200001@ccvaxa> aglew@ccvaxa.UUCP writes:
>
>I am also interested in one of the 7300 or 3B1 systems "on sale",
>particularly with where I can buy one.
>
>I called up AT&T, who promised to get back to me, but they haven't
>yet, after 2 weeks, and two people trying.

Here's what I put out to friends in my company about a month
ago.  Some of this has been posted here before, but I think there's
still enough interest out there from people who didn't see the earlier
postings to justify posting this.

----

There is a fantasic sale being put on by AT&T on the PC7300
and 3B1.  The machines are almost identical except that
the 3B1 has a slightly taller case and comes with a faster,
quieter, and larger (67 meg) hard disk.  These babies run
Unix system V release 2 (or very close to release 2) using
an 68010 running at 10 mhz with no wait states.  They come
with an internal 1200 baud modem.  The unix that you get with
it comes enhanced with a "friendly" front end where you
select things using a mouse and windows and menus.  The monitor
(it's part of the unit) is monochrome and supports 720x348
pixels.  Besides the modem (which doesn't use up a serial port
because it's connected to your phone via a standard modular
socket) there is one serial and one parallel port.  There are
3 slots for expansion boards.  Available expansion boards
include a MSDOS (8086) board, extra memory and extra serial
port boards, and some kind of "SSI 3270 SNA" (I think) board.
Besides the standard unix and utilities there are business
software packages available (spreadsheets, graphics, database,
word processing, cobol, pascal, etc) from AT&T.  ATT says
that the PC7300 will support upto 3 users and the 3B1 will
support up to 5 users.

90 day warranty from ATT.  Very nice unit.  The current going prices
are approximately 20% of list price.

I suspect that this sale is going to sell the last of the PC7300's
and 3B1's.  Word has it that the original manufacturer (Convergent
Technologies) and AT&T are both dropping this line of computers.

I don't know how long AT&T and/or Convergent Technologies will
continue to support these units.  But there is a network of
users who exchange info via netnews (USENET) which they run
on their own PC7300s and 3B1s.

Parts are supposed to be available from Convergent Technologies for
another 5 years.  After 5 years, there should be enough units on the
used market to provide for any needed parts.


Cheapest known vendor for 3B1:

	Elek-Tek, Inc.		(312) 677-7660
	6557 North Lincoln Av.
	Lincolnwood IL 60645

	RAM (MB)	Hard Disk (MB)		Price ($)
	1		40			1250
	2		40			1395
	2		67			1550

None of these include the UNIX Operating System, which they are
selling for $210, nor the UNIX Utilities.

----
Other vendors:

Adelphi Computers (Conway Jones) 415-530-3411

Media Software Systems in Aurora, Ill. 800-548-9618 (Greg Oij (OY))

Avnet Comp. Tech. 617-935-4680 (John Hilton)

AT&T employee sale 800-527-6888

	They usually only take calls between 10:00 and 14:00 or so
	Eastern time.  Calling outside of those hours should get you
	a recording which will tell you the correct hours for calling.

	They don't seem to care if you're really an employee or not
	(as far as the PC7300/3B1's are concerened anyway) and they'll
	take credit card orders.

-- 
Marnix (ain't unix!) A.  van\ Ammers	Work: (415) 545-8334
Home: (707) 644-9781			CEO: MAVANAMMERS:UNIX
UUCP: {ihnp4|ptsfa}!pttesac!vanam	CIS: 70027,70
    ** So what  ?