Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!rayssd!d2b
From: d2b@rayssd.ray.com (Donald A. Borsay)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: DEC-10 Assembler Inquiry
Keywords: DEC-10, off in nowhereland?
Message-ID: <1815@rayssd.ray.com>
Date: 12 Feb 88 18:27:33 GMT
References: <1997@ukecc.engr.uky.edu>
Sender: d2b@rayssd.ray.com (Donald A. Borsay @ Raytheon Company, Portsmouth RI)
Reply-To: d2b@rayssd.RAY.COM (Donald A. Borsay)
Organization: Raytheon Company, Portsmouth RI
Lines: 45

In article <1997@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> wes@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan) writes:
>I understand that the DEC-10 is no longer supported by Digital.
>If this is the case, what is the status of DEC-10 system soft-
>ware in terms of copyrights, et cetera?  I'm working on an as-
>sembler for instructional purposes, and the DEC-10 instruction
>set is one of the most readable I've used.  Since DEC-10s are 
>no longer around, how would I go about securing permission to
>use the DEC-10 instruction set in this manner?
>

Here's some information that was included into a consolidated trip
report, which I pulled together and distributed at our local DECUS LUG.
Hope it helps.

Extracted from a DECUS U.S. Chapter Fall '87 Symposium Trip Report,
as part of contribution from Carol Farrell, Gerry Loon, and Betsy Ramsey
of the American Mathematical Society.

                            TOPS-10/20

     This is the next to last DECUS for the Product Business Unit.  In June
     1988,  the  marketing  branch  of  the  unit  will  be terminated, and
     engineering will move  under  Field  Service.   The  only  outstanding
     commitments  are  TOPS-10  V7.04  and  TOPS-20  V7.0.  The KL trade-in
     program ends this month and has been  very  successful;  the  customer
     retention rate at TOPS sites was 82% as of Nov 87.  DEC still has over
     300 trained LCG Field Service engineers, and over $10M  in  LCG  parts
     held  in  stockrooms world-wide.  From April 1982 to April 1987, Field
     Service prices have risen only 2.6%, and the 1987 Service satisfaction
     was up to 8.8 from 8.6 in 1986.  The software engineering goals are to
     release TOPS-10 V7.04 and TOPS-20 V7.0; document the new o/s releases;
     continue  to  evaluate electronic-only releases; improve the Autopatch
     process; reduce the SPR backlog; answer most SPRs within a month;  and
     maintain  36-bit  expertise in order to meet customer needs (i.e., Mom
     and Apple Pie stuff).  Susan Porada was on hand to get feedback  about
     electronic-only   distribution  of  documentation  for  the  new  TOPS
     releases; user's concern over the what format  the  documentation  was
     shipped  in,  the  ability  to  sell  documentation  at cost since DEC
     doesn't provide the service, and obtaining the OS  sources  since  DEC
     isn't supporting it any more, was voiced.

-- 
Don    |Raytheon Company, Submarine Signal Division, Portsmouth, RI
Borsay |ARPAnet: d2b%rayssd.RAY.COM@a.cs.uiuc.edu
       |UUCPmail: {allegra, decvax!brunix, linus!raybed2}!rayssd!d2b