🚀 go-pugleaf

This got bounced back by a mailer who couldn't find cp1.  So here it is
broadcast to the public at large.

In article <1114@cp1.UUCP> you write:
>
>First off, Dec wants a pot of money
>for rt-11 or rsx-11 to run on the systems. 

Perhaps you have asked Dec the wrong question.  Not 'what does a primary
RT11 license cost'  but 'what does a secondary (license to copy) cost.
At worst, you would get a primary license for one machine and secondary
for all others.  If you have a local friend who doesn't mind being your
software support person, you could probably get away with license to copy
for all systems.  You will then find that the cost of the documenation
exceeds the cost of the license.

I don't know of a genuinely public domain operating system for this
hardware -- Comer's Xinu has residual Unix code in it, and needs a VAX
or equivalent as a support machine, but it would be interesting.
Generally speaking, RT11 is the way to go for your hardware configuration,
as it is not particularly disk intensive.

>I am a member of Decus, but have
>never understood how they handle software.

Lots of public-domain programs, available for the cost of duplication
by DEC.  (significantly over media cost, since they charge for labor
and amortize the hardware too)  $35 for a floppy.
As a Decus member, you should have received your current (1985-86) library
catalog a few months ago.  If not, contact

	DECUS Program Library
	249 Northboro Rd. BP02
	Marlboro, MA 01752
	(617) 480-3422

Also look for a local user group in your area.  There is an active group
in the DC area that I know of.

>
>	dual rx02 drives
>	64k ram
>	5 async io ports
>	lsi-11/2 cpu

Looks like a reasonable hardware configuration.  Especially if you have
or can get the floating-point chip for the processor.

>
>There is a good possibility we will be able to locate a few RK05
>drives and controllers.
>

After many years of RK05, I am reluctantly abandoning them.  If you have
any money at all, the new generation of small Winchester disks is a
better way to go.  There are lots of relatively inexpensive Q-bus
controllers that emulate RL02 disks, and are thus software compatible
with standard DEC software.

>
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>  Minicomputer Technical Support District 
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-- 
	carl lowenstein		marine physical lab	u.c. san diego
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