Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!gvlf3.gvl.unisys.com!gvlv2!lock60!alee!erickson From: erickson@alee.UUCP (Lee Erickson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Z machine et al Message-ID: Date: 22 Dec 90 00:41:05 GMT References: <1029.2772FECD@weyr.FIDONET.ORG> Lines: 27 >In article <1029.2772FECD@weyr.FIDONET.ORG> David.Plummer@f70.n140.z1.FIDONET.ORG >(David Plummer) writes: >I was wondering about two older Commodore machines that I saw/have promo >literature for but never actually saw the machines. The first is the >Commodore 128PC LCD Laptop (did this ever make it to market?) No, it never got to market. >The second is a little more obtuse: sometime between the SuperPET era >and the Amiga (a wide time slice, to be sure) there were rumours of some >"Z machine" that would multitask and a bunch of other stuff. I never heard it called the "Z machine", but Commodore did develop a machine called the "C900". It was based on the Zilog Z8000 processor, with MMU. At least 500 of one design were made (to distribute to software developers). It ran a version of the Coherent OS. 10 of a better design were made, and Zilog's ZEUS implementation of System V was ported to it. Both of these machines were "ready" about the same time the Amiga was "ready". Commodore was reporting big losses, and these worthwile machines lost out. -- Lee Erickson uucp: ...{rutgers|uunet}!cbmvax!alee!erickson Working for but NOT ...!psuvax1!burdvax!gvlv2!lock60!alee!erickson representing internet: erickson%alee@canal.org InnovaSystems, Inc. usmail: 720 Raynham Rd., Collegeville PA 19426