Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!apple!vsi1!daver!mips!vaso From: vaso@mips.COM (Vaso Bovan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.northstar,comp.os.cpm Subject: Re: terminal emulator, v100 Message-ID: <22517@quacky.mips.COM> Date: 30 Jun 89 16:02:48 GMT References: <413@wicat.UUCP> Reply-To: vaso@mips.COM (Vaso Bovan) Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, CA Lines: 16 Summary:8/16 board damaged Northstar In article <413@wicat.UUCP> keithm@wicat.UUCP (Keith McQueen) writes: >>Also, what the hell is the 8/16 Northstar? Is it an IBM compatible or does >>just run a 16 bit CPM? >> > >In the early days of 8086, Northstar experimented with it by >creating 8088 boards for the Advantage (and I think for the >Horizon, but don't quote me on it). The Advantage board >would run generic MS-DOS, but was not PC compatible. > That experiment just about ruined the company. I was an employee at the time. Management pushed this "semi clone" against the advice of senior engineers, who wanted NorthStar to develop a true clone, or to work on other proprietary designs. So much time and resources was spent on this kluge board that NorthStar could not meet the growing IBM/DOS threat effectively. From then on NorthStar was doomed.