🚀 go-pugleaf

mowgli@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Mowgli C Assor) writes:

[stuff deleted]
>service. The new number is 1-508-841-3564. And I talked to a guy at Venturcom
>who was basically a salesperson, & of course he said "we don't support that
>processor anymore." I asked him to check if they still had any copies of
>Venix, & he said he'd check & get back to me. Does anyone have a copy that
>they're willing to get rid of? From what the FAQ says, I need a copy of
>Venix to run Un*x since the 350 apparently won't work with Berkeley's Un*x.

>  Anyhow, any pointers would be appreciated. :)

>					Later, <Mowgli>
>-- 
>Address: mowgli@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Mowgli Assor in quasi-real life)
>"Too many lonely hearts in the real world. Too many lonely nights in the real
> world. Too many fools who don't think twice, too many ways to pay the price.
> Don't wanna live my life in the real world." - The Alan Parsons Project

I also spoke to VentureCom several months ago. He claimed their Pro was
broken (and had been for some years) so they couldn't tset the software
they did have. As a result, they were unwilling to sell it to me. Maybe
that has changed.

He also told me since the software is SOOO old, the company will ignore
any copyright violations. That is, if you can find it, go ahead and copy
it. Actually, the local representative of DEC told me the same thing about
the Pro 350 manuals. It's too bad DECUS hasn't gotten Venix. Maybe 
someone there could chat with VentureCom. Being a UNIX user, it would be 
very handy :)

keithr

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
= Keith Russell                 "Well, we were going to do nothing at all     =
= keithr@garfield.cs.mun.ca      for a while, but it can wait."               =
= #include <disclaim.h>                                 - Arthur Dent         =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

VenturCom threw out their inventory of PRO Venix about a year ago.
I have a copy of PRO Venix 1.0 which works on the PRO 350.  I'm trying
to locate a copy of Venix 2.1 which will work on either the 350 or
the 380.  Rumor has it that Dan Lanciani has a copy stashed away
somewhere in Gloucester, MA (Hi Dan!).  Venix 1.0 on the PRO 350
only supports the 5MB RD50 and 10MB RD51 hard drives.  I presume
Venix 2.x will support the 38MB RD52 and/or 71MB RD53 hard drives.

Venix requires an authorization code which has to be entered when
you install it.  The code is computed as a 5-digit hash function of
both the serial number of the copy of Venix and the CPU ID number
of your machine.  The folks at VenturCom were kind enough to run
their little program to give me the authorization codes for installing
my single copy of PRO Venix 1.0 on a half-dozen machines.  (Don't
call DEC's 800 number to get the authorization codes.  You won't
get anywhere with them.)

On a 350 you need a Video Generator Card in the card cage.  Optionally
you can also install an Extended BitMap Option Card which jumpers to
the Video Card with the Berg connector on the top of the cards.

Venix 1.0 comes on 10 RX50 diskettes.  It might be possible to upload
it using TeleDisk, as discussed in previous postings here.  However,
it might be better to wait for Venix 2.1 to materialize from some
kind soul (Hi Dan!).  Also, there is no point in proceeding until
you have your HD controller card in your PRO.

Barry Kort

In article <BARRY.92Aug9134808@chezmoto.ai.mit.edu> barry@chezmoto.ai.mit.edu (Barry Kort) writes:
>
>On a 350 you need a Video Generator Card in the card cage.  Optionally
>you can also install an Extended BitMap Option Card which jumpers to
>the Video Card with the Berg connector on the top of the cards.

I have the Extended Bitmap Option Card for the 350 (or 325).  It is available
for any reasonable offer for either sale or trade/swap for either common
DECmate/Rainbow/Pro spares (VR-201, LK-201, RX50, etc. are common spares for
the group) and/or stuff for PC-compatibles.  Comes with the dinky little
installation booklet these things tend to come with.  (Also, I haven't a clue
as to its "worth" to the PRO world, so can someone kindly "appraise" it?)

cjl

In article <1992Aug9.100532.14835@cs.mun.ca> keithr@garfield.cs.mun.ca (Keith Russell) writes:
>
>He also told me since the software is SOOO old, the company will ignore
>any copyright violations. That is, if you can find it, go ahead and copy
>it. Actually, the local representative of DEC told me the same thing about
>the Pro 350 manuals. It's too bad DECUS hasn't gotten Venix. Maybe 
>someone there could chat with VentureCom. Being a UNIX user, it would be 
>very handy :)

Some of the PRO manuals are the only description of the hardware common to
the other DEC PC's (DECmate, Rainbow), such as the hardware description
of the keyboard in chapter 6 of something PRO.  (I only have a xerox, and
would like a better copy of it; hard to read; partially the quality of the
copy, etc.)  Can these manuals be made available to readers of this group
or copies made, etc.?

cjl

In article <1992Aug9.071208.13384@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, mowgli@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Mowgli C Assor) writes:
c> 
>   Why is there a video board, & yet it doesn't seem to connect to the I/F
> on the back of the case (where the terminal connects to)? It has a seperate
> ribbon connector - for what kind of cable/device? Is there a list of cards
> that can be put in the PC3x0 machines somewhere?
> 
It connects to the back of the case through the backplane. The Ethernet card 
does this, too. The ribbon connector is for the extra bit-planes module that
allows the Pro to do color.

Roger Ivie
ivie@cc.usu.edu

In article <1992Aug10.071624.12721@news.columbia.edu>, lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
> In article <1992Aug9.100532.14835@cs.mun.ca> keithr@garfield.cs.mun.ca (Keith Russell) writes:
> Some of the PRO manuals are the only description of the hardware common to
> the other DEC PC's (DECmate, Rainbow), such as the hardware description
> of the keyboard in chapter 6 of something PRO.  (I only have a xerox, and
> would like a better copy of it; hard to read; partially the quality of the
> copy, etc.)  Can these manuals be made available to readers of this group
> or copies made, etc.?

I wonder how DEC would respond to someone scanning manuals and making them
available somewhere? I'd like to have copies of manuals that I don't have,
and would certainly love to be able to print fresh copies of (for example)
the 1972 Small Computer Handbook at will.

Perhaps someone could get a research grant for this sort of stuff; after all,
documentation is the lifeblood of history...

Roger Ivie
ivie@cc.usu.edu

In article <1992Aug10.065720.12307@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>In article <BARRY.92Aug9134808@chezmoto.ai.mit.edu> barry@chezmoto.ai.mit.edu (Barry Kort) writes:
>
>I have the Extended Bitmap Option Card for the 350 (or 325).  It is available
>for any reasonable offer for either sale or trade/swap for either common
>DECmate/Rainbow/Pro spares (VR-201, LK-201, RX50, etc. are common spares for
>the group) and/or stuff for PC-compatibles.  Comes with the dinky little
>installation booklet these things tend to come with.  (Also, I haven't a clue
>as to its "worth" to the PRO world, so can someone kindly "appraise" it?)
>

	I've got two pro 350's at least one of which doesn't work.  They
appear to each have
        video cards with the Bitmap option card (not sure but it fits the
			description.)
	hard drive controller
	Hard drive (20 meg?)
	Ram cards (Not sure how much.)
	floppy controllers
	floppies.
	The mother board appears to have an thick ethernet connector on
	it, but I'm not sure.

One of the pro's will turn on, but the green light in back by the power
supply does not turn on.  The other the green light comes on and the
hard drive seeks for a while, then stops.  I don't have a monitor or
keyboard for either so I don't know if it really works.

	I don't know how much any of it is worth, but any offer has to
be enough to motivate me to go to the closet open the thing up, take out
the part and ship it to where ever.  In light of all this the terms
will be if I accept your offer, you will have to send me enough money
to cover shipping (probably about $10) and I will ship it.  If it works
and is what you thought it was, send me the rest of the money.  I will
verify numbers on the back of the card before shipping so the chances
of it being totally different from what you thought should be minimal.

	I will also consider trades for pc hardware.

-- 
Ross Biro bir7@leland.stanford.edu 
Member League for Programming Freedom (LPF)
mail league@prep.ai.mit.edu for information

I spoke to Ed Steinfeld of VenturCom, and he was most helpful.
(That may be because I explained that I was donating my time
to resurrect some PRO 350/380 machines that DEC had just donated
to a local school.)

Anyway, I gave Ed the list of ID numbers from the Venix 1.0 
installation procedure, which he then ran through their
authorization-number generating algorithm.  I got the authorization
codes back from him the same day, and proceded to install Venix
on several of our 350s.  (Venix 1.0 installs on the 380 and runs
OK if I log in from the COM Port, but it doesn't work properly on
the Console, due to a problem managing the Console screen buffer.)

Barry