Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!oliveb!stratus!gbs
From: gbs@stratus.UUCP (George B. Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: Re: 32K "do-it-yourself" kits...
Keywords: The Ultimate Scrooge...
Message-ID: <1039@stratus.UUCP>
Date: 6 Nov 88 05:37:43 GMT
References: <2613@sultra.UUCP> <7532@nsc.nsc.com>
Reply-To: gbs@stratus.UUCP (George B. Smith)
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc. Western Development Center
Lines: 44

In article <7532@nsc.nsc.com> grenley@nsc.nsc.com.UUCP (George Grenley) writes:
>In article <2613@sultra.UUCP> dtynan@sultra.UUCP (Der Tynan) writes:
>>OK, so I've been following all these postings about so-and-so who makes an
>>"ultra-cheap" 32K experimental system.  Well, so far, 'ultra-cheap' has been
>>open to varied interpretation.  
>
>I still maintain that if cheap is your primary goal, you can't beat the 532DK,
>at a whopping $532.  Yes, half a k-buck is not trivial, but you have
>something which, with work, can be a real OS9/Minix/GNU/whatever system.

I suggest that the 532DK, otherwise known as the 532 Designer Kit, would *not*
be an appropriate starting point for a system.  There is no bus, there is only
128k of static RAM with no provision to expand it, there is no provision for
adding a mass storage device, i.e. disk of any kind, there is no provision
to add networking, etc, etc.  The 532DK is just what George Grenley stated
before, a demo board which proves that it is possible to wire a 532 up to
other chips and run small benchmarks generated by expensive 32k software
tools which must run on expensive host systems.  There is a "wire wrap area"
on the board which George must be referring to when he says that "with work"
the 532DK "can be a real OS9/Minix/GNU/whateve system".  I would say a *lot*
of work that would be of questionable value.

Now the CG16 group is working on something that would be a good starting
point for a 32k PC system.  Hey Dave, yeah, Dave Rand, care to share some
details with the net?

>Der, the realities of corporate bookkeeping are such that we can't do
>ANYTHING in low volume for $100.

National does not want to cater to the low cost , low volume market.
Now my question is of the chicken or the egg variety, is it because
they in fact *can't* do it or they just don't want to?  Let's put it
another way, if they thought they *could* do it, would they find a way
to get it done?

>Regards,
>George Grenley

Regards,
the other George

George B. Smith                  Disclaimer: don't hold anyone else
Stratus Computer, Inc.                       accountable but me.
gbs@stratus