Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-lcc!lll-winken!uunet!inco!alembic!bill
From: bill@alembic.UUCP (Bill Hatch)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport
Subject: Microport Status
Message-ID: <3140@alembic.UUCP>
Date: 4 Apr 89 11:33:27 GMT
Reply-To: bill@alembic.UUCP (Bill Hatch)
Organization: Alembic Systems
Lines: 31

I have recently seen several news articles hinting that Microport
may be going out of business or at least phasing down their Unix effort.
I recently checked their BBS - the source code postings seem to have
few, if any, recent additions.  John Plocher seems to have burned out
and left.

To date i am a satisfied Microport V386 customer.  Can anybody tell me
what is happening with Microport so that I can help with the planning
of my company's evolution to Unix.  I have worked very hard to move us
forward from a DOS and VMS enviornment to an integrated Unix approach.
At this point, serious problems with our Unix O/S vendor could wipe out
some of this progress.  

Specific things we need to know include the following:

1. Does Microport or a corporate successor plan to continue providing
   80386 Unix and upgrades to Unix.

2. Will Microport provide the hooks to access graphics memory as is
   available on their 80286 version of Unix.  I have heard that Xenix
   now offers these hooks for their 80386 release.

3. Has Microport been selling enough software to stay in business?
   I have no information on the relative sales figures for the 
   386 Unix vendors.

Please respond by E-mail to "uunet!bts!bill".  My news feed has recently
been less than reliable - thus even if you post a reply to news,
please send me an E-mail copy.

Thanks for any information on the above.