Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!yale!bunker!stpstn!aad
From: aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Aquiring porting base machines
Message-ID: <2026@stpstn.UUCP>
Date: 26 Aug 88 00:45:56 GMT
References: <374@marob.MASA.COM>
Reply-To: aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri)
Organization: The Stepstone Corporation, Sandy Hook, CT
Lines: 32

In article <374@marob.MASA.COM> daveh@marob.masa.com (Dave Hammond) writes:
>Our firm would like to port a software package to run under various
>flavors of Unix, as well as non-Unices, including VMS and DOS.
>
>The Intel-based systems (Xenix,uPort,iAPX,DOS,...) are no problem, as
>we have a slew of them and they take only a software purchase to build a
>new porting base.  On the other hand, we do not have 3Bs, Vaxen, Suns, and
>other non-Intel machines at our disposal.

Unilogic (now Scribe Systems), has benefitted by an association with a
university, providing them with several platforms to compile Scribe on
without having to buy them.  Scribe ports to the Pyramid, for example, are
done by sending a tape to Pyramid, and dialing in to one of their machines.
When I worked for Scribe, I ported a package to the Apollo by walking down
to the other end of the block to the local Apollo office and using one
of their machines.  Some vendors are cooperative like this.  I think Sun
now has a concept of porting centers, just for this purpose.  If you've got
other businesses that you're on good terms with, offer them your software
in return for the use of their machines.  Prime actually *gave* Unilogic
a 9950 so they could port Scribe to it.  Universities are also a good shot
for a deal -- part of the arrangement between CMU and Unilogic was that
CMU got a site license for Scribe, and Unilogic got the use of pretty much
anything they wanted to use there -- that's how Scribe runs on the Gould,
for example.



-- 
@disclaimer(Any concepts or opinions above are entirely mine, not those of my
	    employer, my GIGI, or my 11/34)
beak is								  beak is not
Anthony A. Datri,SysAdmin,StepstoneCorporation,stpstn!aad