Cromemco Unix?

[M H Stein]

----------------Original Message:

Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:14:16 -0800
From: Gene Buckle <geneb at simpits.com>
Subject: Cromemco Unix?
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
	<cctalk at classiccmp.org>

Odd Cromemco system:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROMEMCO-SUPER-MICROCOMPUTER-VINTAGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ56084QQihZ010QQitemZ200074941857QQrdZ1

I've never seen this machine before.  I had no idea Cromemco was into Unix.

g.

---------------Reply:

Nothing odd about it; they'd had Cromix, a sort-of-UNIX available on their
Z80 and 68000 systems since around 1980, but by the mid-80s they finally
cried uncle and made UNIX systems available with the x20 series, essentially
the same S-100 boxes as the older ones, i.e. a 120 was essentially an 
upgraded System 1, a 220 an upgraded CS-2 (Z-2) and the 320 was the 
System 3 (8" FD), all with slightly changed styling, a 68010 or 68020 with a
68881, minimum 2MB, minimum 9 ports and an external DC600 tape drive. 
They also brought out a new CS-400/420 tower version with the tape drive built in. 
The x00 series were essentially the same systems but running Cromix, although 
since they were S-100 systems you could put whatever cards you wanted into 
them and run whatever you wanted, even CP/M or CDOS (their CP/M clone),
although with the later CPU boards without a Z80 those programs ran on the 
Z80 in the I/O processor.

I believe there was also a 4000 Mammoth running parallel 68030s on the VME
bus, although I don't have one and have never even seen one.

I've got two of the 420s sitting on my verandah gathering snow; wonder what
the cold'll do to the infamous rollers in the tape drives...

I could dig out some old price lists if anyone's interested in the available models.

mike