🚀 go-pugleaf

In <162@dg.dg.com> rec@dg.UUCP (Robert Cousins) wrote:
> In article <1916@se-sd.sandiego.ncr.com> Dave Lord(SSP) writes:
> >In article <13089@paris.ics.uci.edu> John M.A. Roy writes:
> >>In article <GRUNWALD.89May1131736@flute.cs.uiuc.edu>, grunwald@flute writes:
> >>|Does anyone, other than Data General, make an 88K box *available now* that
> >>|runs a reasonable UNIX (i.e. should be able to run Berkelyish code). Has
> 
> The product was announced in February. . . .
> 
> >By the way, you didn't hear this from me. :-)

I haven't seen anyone yet mention the Opus/Everex box.  Opus makes UNIX co-
processors for AT-bus machines that are pretty good.  They are now shipping
a 20MHz 88000 card w/20MB ram (model 417-20)  and if you want an Everex 386
clone workstation underpinning it, they have the whole thing as the model 8040
"personal mainframe".  (Enough quotes from their marketing hype)

I happen to have one of these wonderful boxes sitting on my desk.
1st impression:  very nice!
   Once I figured out what I had to do to get everthing and X windows and
TCP/IP up and running (actually - the 8040s come with everything
pre-loaded and configured) I transferred in my main numerical analysis
application and ran my regression test.  In the otherwise unloaded
machine, the GOM benchmarked at 8.39 minutes, versus 21.4 minutes for a
30MHz Intergraph Clipper.  This includes a mix of double precision
floating point (a lot), periodic disk i/o (checkpointing) and the usual
mix of character and integer calculations supporting the main d.p. loops.

2nd impression:  still very nice!
   The X11 version software that I received was beta test and still has
some problems, but its better than waiting for UNIX to access the
"ultragraphics controller" for normal ascii i/o (really! clearing the
screen takes a good 4-6 seconds!)  Additionally, I managed to find a bug
in the pcc compiler (with a work around) and a bug in the ftpd.

   Since I managed to snag the 1st 8040 that they shipped commercially, I
guess that I deserve getting the "low serial number" problems - but that
seems to be normal with us.  Opus Tech Support is very responsive and says
I'll get a new kernal in the next week or so.

   For a price (very steep) source support is available, but we are
operating in a binary-only situation.  

3rd impression:  still very nice!

   More information as I glean it.  BTW - the introductory price for this
beast was around 28,000.  20MHz '386, 88000, 330 MB disk, ethernet,
x-windows and Berkely Environment (over SysVr3.2). What a deal.

The Usual disclaimers apply, I am not connected with Opus other than as a
rather satisfied customer (6 machines and one more coming).

--
Greg Woodbury, system programmer and admin (UNIX)
Duke University Center for Demographic Studies
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