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From: glowell@leland.Stanford.EDU (gary lowell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP 3000 Series 37
Keywords: HP3000 Series37
Message-ID: <1991Mar9.075849.29908@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 9 Mar 91 07:58:49 GMT
References: <526@lysator.liu.se>
Distribution: comp
Organization: AIR, Stanford University
Lines: 29

In article <526@lysator.liu.se> pen@lysator.liu.se (Peter Eriksson) writes:
>We just got a HP3000 Series 37 with a 400MB disk and a tape drive.
>With it we got the MPE V/E operating system, without any compilers,
>interpreters or whatsoever...

>Any suggestions what we should do with it? Are there C compilers
>available for it? Would it be possible to port Minix to it? How
>powerful is it?

The Series 37 also known as "mighty mouse" was the low end of HP's
commercial computer line.  It's probably comparable in power to 
a top end PC, however the disk and terminal I/O is better than one
usually sees on a PC.  The architecture is a stack machine, and
is fairly well described in available HP publications.  HP also sells
the source code for MPE V, on magnetic tape for about $500.   This
dosn't include the compilers though.  The operating system is written
in SPL, an algol like machine dependent language. There are two third 
party c compilers available.  

As far as porting Minix, it would be a fun project but I expect the
complexity of the IO system on the 37 would make it impossible without
access to the MPE V source.  Every periperal uses proprietary interfaces
and protocols.  Also, since MPE V does not have provisions for keeping
more than one bootable operating system on a disc it will be difficult
to do developement without a second disc, or access to another system
that supports either HP cartridge tape or disc.

Gary Lowell
glowell@portia.stanford.edu