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From: andree@uokvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Building a 68000 system - (nf)
Message-ID: <4607@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Dec-83 22:50:32 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.4607
Posted: Sun Dec 18 22:50:32 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 21-Dec-83 01:24:32 EST
Lines: 25

#R:sri-arpa:-1449000:uokvax:3400023:000:1140
uokvax!andree    Dec 16 10:07:00 1983

The major problem with a `homebrew' system like that is that most people
who sell nice os's for the 68K don't want to sell end-user (or `field-
installable') versions of their os. (ATT is of, of course, an exception.
You can buy Unix V for a measly $43K.) They want to sell to OEMs, and then
let the OEMs sell to end-users. The OEMs of course expect you to buy their
hardware. Some of them are nice enough to let you get off with a board
set and disk drive. sheesh.

The only system that you can (currently) get end-user is cp/m-68k. As
previously pointed out, there's not much reason to bother. You would
be better off running a low-end z80 system. Note that low-end z80's
these days means 64K of memory & a 4Mhz z80. Such are available for
$1200 or so.

As a side note, there is an `attached processor' box for z80 systems. This
box has a 6MHz 68000 and 128K of memory for $710. It plugs into your
(or anybodies!) z80 system and does i/o parasitically through the CP/M-80
BIOS. They are talking about Unix V, and I am trying to finagle an os-9/68000
for the box. (os-9/68000: something better than Unix V, but not as good
as 4.1).

	<mike