Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-spam!ames!aurora!labrea!decwrl!decvax!bhjat!bhj
From: bhj@bhjat.UUCP (Burt Janz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Flaming each other
Message-ID: <185@bhjat.UUCP>
Date: 29 Jan 88 00:40:04 GMT
References: <16217@watmath.waterloo.edu> <166@bhjat.UUCP> <2468@cup.portal.com> <373@igloo.UUCP>
Organization: BHJ Associates, Nashua, NH
Lines: 59

In article <373@igloo.UUCP>, learn@igloo.UUCP (william vajk) writes:
> 
> I received a disk of beta patches from uport for the kernel and the sio 
> drivers. These have made a marked improvement on this system, though I
> am still forced to desist from any activity during inbound uucp transfers.
> 

Which version of the kernel are you running?  If it is 2.3, what changes
were made to the sio driver?  I am "vi"ing this response during a Kermit
receive over /dev/tty0 @1200 baud.  Understandably, that's rather slow, but
Kermit keeps the line as busy as uucp...

By the way, I have noted what appears to be a SERIOUS timing anomaly in the
Phoenix 3.06 bios.  Apparently, the vendor has licenced the source to the
bios rom to be able to put his own name in the POST screen (vanity, thy
name is seller... ouch...).  The 3.06 rom appears to have some minor timing
changes in it which show up on the I/O interrupt lines.  I don't understand
it all yet, but my Tektronics scope showed that the I/O lines seemed to be
active a whole lot more with that rom.  When I shoved the 3.00 Phoenix
rom back into the board, the timing problems went away.

Notably, the problems I have had with the floppy drive disappeared with the
older version of the bios.  Interesting, eh?

> As a result of this and other discussions on the net, I have received mail
> from others using uport '286 products, and have asked for specifics of
> use and configuration.

I have a 286 6/10/12mhz motherboard from SIREX in New York (they're a
distributor... I buy wholesale), 200w power supply, WD controller (the one
with the leadless chip carrier), 1 IBM brand p/s card, 1 clone p/s card,
the MCT-ATRAM board which does NOT run above 6MHZ (and they promised it
would!...Jade..), and a Video-7 VEGA card (the old model, not the Deluxe).
Monitor - TAXAN 770, probably the best color around.  Drives: 1.2 IBM brand
floppy (yes, the real thing), Maxtor 1065 as primary, Quantum Q540 as second
drive.  And, of course, the Phoenix 3.00 bios.

Primary use is for porting software, acting as a mail node, and doing
general work using DOS utilities and programs under DOSMerge.  What with
all the compiles going (3 virtual consoles all compiling at the same time..
what a drag!), you really get to see how a 286 needs to grow up to be a
386.  But, since I can really only run at 6mhz, I'm IMPRESSED with how
well the software works.

> I have received excellent telephone responses from uport too, in spite
> of the fact that I probably represent a thorn in someone's side at times.
> There is something to be said *for* a company that keeps working with you
> under adverse circumstances.
> 
> Bill Vajk                                                learn@igloo

With all the calls they get from me, they either consider me a pain in
the... neck... or, maybe, a real help in nailing down what are real problems.
Having been in customer support before, I found that customers who had real
problems, but were willing to help you figure them out patiently, were a
tremendous asset.

Burt Janz
...decvax!bhjat!bhj