Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!hplabs!hp-sdd!ucsdhub!jack!wolf!drew
From: drew@wolf.UUCP (Drew Dean)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: Re: NS32000 computer kit wishlist
Message-ID: <647@wolf.UUCP>
Date: 19 Feb 88 01:34:34 GMT
References: <3703@bcsaic.UUCP> <4953@nsc.nsc.com> <193@jim.odr.oz> <4974@nsc.nsc.com>
Organization: Systems'n'Software San Diego, CA
Lines: 37
Summary: There's at least one market that would be REAL interested....


	This world does NEED a CHEAP single-user Unix box !!! Computer
Science students everywhere would line up in groves if someone put together a
32 bit (=> 10Mhz) CPU, MMU, and a 40Mb hard drive together with a binary Unix
license for $1500.  IBM AT clones are the only <$2000 Unix machines available,
and I don't think I need to make any more snide comments about the 286 :-).
	As a current high school senior, I bought a Mac SE last fall, which I am
dearly in love with, if only because it's so productive for all the other things
I need a computer to do.  With Apple's pricing of A/UX, it's going to be cheaper
to pay for as much VAX time as I can use.  (I include the cost of 68020 upgrade
or buying a Mac II in this.)  I don't want an AT, but a 32032 (or 32332[?] :-))
would be nice to have.  It doesn't have to run too fast, as it would strictly
be a single user machine, and 1 Mb RAM would probably be enough for useful
work (especially without graphics), but it should be expandable....
	Real proposal:  As the 32xxx series have not been exactly an over-
whelming commercial success (Please, no flames, just correct me, but I can't
think of any major systems in the US that use 32xxx MPUs), why doesn't
National Semiconductor take this opportunity to recoup a little with a small
Unix box on their old, relatively slow parts.  The design would best be put
in the public domain, so anyone with time could build it, or buy PC boards/
assembled systems from somebody making a little profit....
	The only problem left is Unix.  Maybe GNU will be finished by the
time the hardware gets done, or maybe someone will need to distribute a
binary license inexpensively (<= $200).  How much has NS recouped on the costs
of its Unix port ?  Does anyone else have 32xxx Unix that their about to
write off, and would love to make $1 million on over a few years ?
	I very much think that this market could take a few thousand units a
year, small by commercial standards, but from what I've seen, it would double/
triple the number of 32xxx systems in use....
	If nobody does anything, I'll probably find out which brand of high
speed modems the applicable Academic Computing Center supports and buy one,
as the best price/performance ratio possible (vi at 1200 baud isn't particulary
fun).

Drew Dean
UUCP: {sdcsvax,ihnp4}!jack!wolf!drew
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