| I saw the following note on usenet and thought that some folks here
might be interested in the news.
Dan
Article 27547 of comp.sys.atari.st:
Path: decvax!mcnc!uvaarpa!haven!ames!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!tut!tukki!jyu.fi!sarnila
From: sarnila@tukki.jyu.fi (Pekka Sarnila)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Atari TT
Message-ID: <SARNILA.90Mar27231008@tukki.jyu.fi>
Date: 27 Mar 90 20:10:08 GMT
Sender: news@tukki.jyu.fi
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Jyvaskyla
Lines: 55
Well they had the TT in CeBit (also the unix model).
The TOS version (TT030/2) should be available in Germany in May:
- 2M memory
- 40M hard disk (not 30 even they say so)
- VGA monitor
- 6500 DEM (available only in this configuration)
The box is really silly looking.
The unix version (TT/030X)should be available to developers in May:
- 2M (slow) memory for video
- 4M full speed memory (unix will use primarily this)
- HD size not sure yet (at least 80 and propably 120, 170)
- tower case
- either 14 inch (VGA) color monitor (640x480 16 out 4096 colors)
or 19 inch mono monitor (1280x960 mono) (really nice with X)
- price not yet know (round 10000 DEM)
The unix version (ATX = Atari unix) is officially Sys V 3.1 (SVID 2) but
it has really BSD4.3 kernel modified for Sys V. On shell level command
switches are Sys V, but the kernel has also full BSD4.3 syscall interface,
BSD signals (including ones needed for full job control), BSD sockets, TCP/IP,
the BSD fast file system, disipline 2 tty driver (supports SIGSTOP etc. = ^Z).
This gives nearly full BSD compatybility. Csh is the full BSD with full
job controll. Tcsh compiles. Gnu CC (1.36), CC+, gdb, gas are fully ported
(really same as Sun m68k) and officially distributed by Atari. Comes with
NFS and X11.4 (has got 3 button mouse). For developers there comes also the
Hewlett Packard extended XFaceMaker tool kit. Kernel size with basic drivers
+ TCP/IP + NFS 650k. Pager is so customized that it will take pages from full
speed memory first, and only if that runs out, from the slower dual-purpose
(video) memory. As I tryed it out it seemed OK. ^Z really worked. The
(VGA style) display seemed slowish (must be in driver). From a X-terminal
the speed seemed fine. It seems like a nice (BSD) hackers home unix machine
(better then Sys V 3.2/80386). But .... Two buts. 16MHz, it is 1990, should
be at least 25 (it seems that TOS compatibility requires either 16 or 32, for
video shifter to work properly). And the price!!!!. I think far too much to
really compete with 386. It seems Atari really doesn't trust it will sell
in great volume, for the current projected price is clearly a low volume
price. Also it is late. It took so long because Atari wanted also TOS
compatibility. The unix only prototype was ready more than two years ago.
It seems Atari didn't believe a unix only version would sell well enough,
and also they wanted future for TOS line.
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Pekka Sarnila, University of Jyvaskyla Finland
sarnila@tukki.jyu.fi
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Pekka Sarnila, University of Jyvaskyla Finland
sarnila@tukki.jyu.fi
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