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Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!udel!princeton!njsmu!mccc!shevett
From: shevett@mccc.UUCP (Dave Shevett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.sys.dec.micro,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: DEC Rainbow
Summary: Pro/350=Unix?
Keywords: Digital, personal computer
Message-ID: <624@mccc.UUCP>
Date: 25 Feb 89 17:03:38 GMT
References: <4028@ingr.com> <13238@steinmetz.ge.com>
Reply-To: shevett@mccc.UUCP (Dave Shevett)
Followup-To: comp.sys.dec
Organization: The College On The Other Side of U. S. Route 1
Lines: 39

In article <13238@steinmetz.ge.com> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>In article <4028@ingr.com> jeff@ingr.com (Jeff Kilpatrick) writes:
>| ... I understand the latter
>| machine runs RSX11M+ and the previous runs DOS.  Anyone know if these machines
>| have expansion slots?  

The Rainbow was expandable, but only with Rainbow cards.  The cards cost an
arm and a leg, and are WAY overpriced... (something like 600 bucks for a HD
controller). 
 
>They are also a vt-100 terminal, which makes
>them worth about $200. I learned a lot from these, and I almost hacked

This is arguable.  The Vt??? emulation on the Rainbow is yucky at best.  
There is not file functions you would hope for from a PC based terminal.  
Better to run out and get a real vt100 for $150.

>
>  The Pro-350 is an LSI-11, or 11/23, or some such. It does run RSX11M+,
>and I'm told that you can get (could get?) UNIX for it, either V7 or
>SysIII. Another nice box to hack with!

The Pro can run Pro/VENIX, a derivative of V7 Unix.  (I think).  It's got
all sorts of extenstions to make it usable for Real-Time functions.  It
goes for about a grand, but (big but) - most pro's were distributed with
teeny hard drives (ala RD50 (5 meg), RD51, (10 meg), and if your lucky, and
RD52, (32 meg). )  Try shoehorning a comfortable Unix system into this and
you'll run into problems.  Also, the pro has 2 (count 'em 2) serial ports
than Venix will turn into terminals, and THATS IT.  There is a port
expander system for the beast, but just try finding one with a price tag
less than a mortgage. 


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