3B1s and "old school" UNIX, was Re: [HECnet] US Seller with some interesting stuff

[Dave McGuire]

On 11/28/2012 10:19 AM, Gregg Levine wrote:
Wasn't there some bitsliced cpu variants ?

  Of the 7300/3B1?   No, not that I'm aware of.   They're call 68010-based.

I know there was the AT&T UNIX PC which was a 68010 + custom external
MMU, but there was also a proprietry cpu version I ran into the trap of
in a past life.

  The "UNIX PC" is the 7300, which is nearly identical to the 3B1.   The
3B1 has a slightly larger top cover to accommodate a full-height hard
drive, while the 7300 will only hold a half-height drive.

  They are otherwise identical, using 68010s.

  I'd sure like to know more about the "proprietary cpu" version you're
talking about.

He's thinking of the WE designed processors that were used in the
later units. They were not bit slice but were fabricated using the
normal methods. Not surprisingly enough the devices could not even be
sold separately.

They were ran an appropriately written release of UNIX as native. One
of the first applications for them and the later models was in running
the first and second generation Electronic Switching Services
otherwise known as exchanges.

  I didn't think he was talking about those at all.   Those are the WE32K
processors used in the 3B2/5/15/20/etc family.   They predate the 3B1
(despite the unfortunate naming) by quite a while.   The WE32K family is
no more "proprietary" than any other processor.

                                      -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA