Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!ucrmath!rhyde
From: rhyde@ucrmath.ucr.edu (randy hyde)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: Re: Space Heaters (was: Sources ?)
Message-ID: <10969@ucrmath.ucr.edu>
Date: 9 Jan 91 17:27:35 GMT
References: <9101080013.AA02003@manatee.UUCP>
Organization: University of California, Riverside
Lines: 51



>>>>>>>
I quess I am puzzled -- are pc532's really space headers or does
the dearth of message activity just make it appear that way ??

For a long time I said to myself: gee the pc532 group is kinda
thin on hardware gurus', but rationalized this by assuming everyone
must me a software wizards.  Well at this point, I am beginning to
conclude that in general the group is comprised of consummers 
( since gurus and wizards are generally producers).
<<<<

I wish mine were producing heat at this point!  (Actually, I'm still
waiting for parts to arrive.)

I don't know about everyone else around here, but I bought my board
for two reasons:  (1) I've always wanted at 32532 system.  (2) I've
always wanted to hack around with an OS.

I already own a faster machine (a Mac II fx).
This is far from my first computer (I've owned about 20-30 over the
past 15 years).
I doubt I will be a producer of any sorts.
I would like to get ICON, SETL, FLEX, & BISON running on the board.
I also have plans to recode major parts of MINIX in 32532 assembly
to see if there is a performance boost that is worthwhile (I don't
give a damn about portablilty or even the problem of future upgrades).
Furthermore, I would like to put a second PC532 together and see if
I can me the file manager over to the second CPU to greatly enhance
the speed of the file manager (MINIX's design makes this easy).

In short, the PC532 is a great research vehicle for me.
It will also be the only machine I own capable of running something
that looks vaguely like UNIX (MS-DOS does *NOT* count).

This will give me an excuse to really learn UNIX (above and beyond
the basic stuff I teach my students).

Of course, dealing the the "diffs" around here is going to be a
challenge all in itself.  I hope the current sentiment for posting
executable binaries takes off because I don't want to have to learn
all this stuff cold turkey before I get my machine to work.

BTW, is there a "designated floppy" drive that PC532ers have settled
on yet?  Is there any kind of consensus?

Also, is there a reset line on the SCSI (XT) bus? (I'm nowhere near the
documentation now)  If not, can we add this line to the bus on one of
the unused lines?
*** Randy Hyde