Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!ukc!stc!root44!khh From: khh@root.co.uk (Keith Holder) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: full unix for ST? Message-ID: <486@root44.co.uk> Date: 30 Nov 87 11:22:31 GMT References: <1141@cooper.cooper.EDU> Reply-To: khh@root44.UUCP (Keith Holder) Organization: Root Computers Ltd, London, England Lines: 42 Keywords: new product-info wanted In article <1141@cooper.cooper.EDU> john@cooper.cooper.EDU (John Barkaus) writes: >It is described as a 'full-blown 11/780 Vax-Unix-like system' >running on a 520 ST. This product is made by A.N.D. Corporation of New Orleans.It is supposed to be a real time Unix system that is multi-user >(up to 8 terminals) and multi-tasking. Does anyone know anything else about >it? I think it would be great to have full Unix on the ST. Please respond >directly to me, or if you think it is worthwhile- post responses(comments, etc.)to the net. > > Hi, About a year ago , I started a UniPlus+ * V.2 port for the ATARI ST. This port was completed in February 1987. However , it needed some hardware assists for UniPlus+ to work at all. The machine had a basic MMU , which consisted of a base and a limit register which only operated in USER mode ; the kernel was mapped straight through. Also , one needed a minimum of 1 megabyte of physical memory , 40 megabytes of disk space , since a full UniPlus+ distribution is about 30 Megs. Additionally , the company which commissioned the port added a serial multiplexor to the RS232 port . This supported up to 16 additional channels , but could just about cope with 8. This port was a full UNIX* V.2 swapping port , but for hardware reasons did not support shared memory or read-only text ( no MMU protection). The stack was fixed size ( determined at link time ) but you could 'sbreak' as much memory as was physically possible. The port was commissioned by a company in Switzerland . However , the reason that it was not publicised , was that they were only interested in a cheap M68000 board to run UNIX , whilst deliberately omitting the fact that it was an Atari ST machine.They believed that their potential customers would not take too seriously a "business" machine manufactured by a company who specialised in games machines. keith holder. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T UniPlus+ is a trademark of UniSoft Systems Corporation. The above remarks are my own personal beliefs and not that of my company. -- -- Keith Holder, Systems Programmer, ROOT-UniSoft Group.G1ITH Fax: (01) 726 8158 Phone: +44 1 606 7799 Telex: 885995 ROOT G BT Gold: CQQ173