🚀 go-pugleaf

In <1992Apr13.062639.7745@cs.yale.edu> eric@beastie.colby.edu (Eric) writes:

>kcwellsc@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Ken Wellsch) writes:
>: The Pro will show a HD failure also if it cannot find a "proper" boot block
>: on the HD.  The hardware itself may be just fine.

>Then, how on earth does one *put* a boot block on it in the first place? :) 
Well it is installed by the system installation of course.

The biggest problem with these PRO's is getting good software.  The P/OS
operating system isn't too bad but the manuals cost a fortune from DECUS.
So the problem is really DECUS and this pseudo public domain status of P/OS.
I have the entire tape for P/OS 3.2 and an ftp site to put it on, but is
that legal?  Probably not.  On the other hand there is never going to be
a renewed interest in programming the PRO's under the DECUS system.
How much would you pay for the operating system for a free PRO?  Your only
hope is to be in a group of PRO owners lower the cost.  Even then if you
get P/OS 3.2, without the manuals you sure can't do very much programming,

Other possible operating systems are Unix (good luck finding a copy) and
RT-11 (still licensed by digital for too much money).  There are also two
"home-brew" unix-like operating systems for the PRO: Xinu and Minix.  They
were both orginally developed for pdp 11's but now mostly support IBM's.  The
two "book developement" operating systems (Xinu & Minix) also run about $200
and do not have a great variety of device drivers.  What's worse is that they
require host machines to compile.

My advice is:

1. Acquire a copy of Unix from someone who has it on their PRO already.  Unix
for the PRO reportedly came from VenturCom in Massachuesetts.  I called them
and they said they didn't sell Unix for the PRO anymore.  To me that means
they don't really care too much about it anymore either.  

2. Acquire a copy of RT-11 from some machine.  Supposedly if you can get RT-11
with a version number >= 5.0 it has hooks for the PRO.  Otherwise, RT-11 came
with the source and you could modify the source.  The biggest job there is
writing a vt100 console terminal driver for the PRO - non trival.

3. Get a copy of P/OS.  You can legally get a copy of this free from a
DECUS member I think (from a Local Area User's Group for sure if they have it).
The problem here is that you don't get the manuals, they cost $240 by 
themselves.

4. Write your own operating system - Not a smart move because the 11/23 is
outdated.

Whatever the case I wish people post their DECUS submissions for the PRO 
(past and future) to this group or comp.sources in the future.  

--
===============================================================================
Todd M. Miller                                    tmiller@caos.caos.kun.nl
CAOS/CAMM, KUN			                  tmiller@sci.kun.nl
Nijmegen, NL					  (031) 080-653383 (CAOS/CAMM)