"r. 'bear' stricklin" wrote:
>
> On Wed, 6 Oct 1999 SUPRDAVE_at_aol.com wrote:
>
> > > The very first EISA machines were brand new in June of 1989, and were
> > > powered by 25 MHz 80386 CPUs. I used to have a copy of the Byte in
> > > question, which also featured MCA clones. I wish I knew where it got to.
> >
> > MCA clones? interesting! remember anything about the article? Ive an NCR 3300
> > that is similar to a PS/2 model 77.
>
> Very little. That's why I wish I knew what happened to the magazine! (:
>
> Machines from Tandy and NCR were both reviewed, among others, and the
> verdict was none of them were particularly effective clones. The MCA
> support was universally problematic.
The Tandy 5000MC was the first real MCA "clone", though it didn't
have the disabled bus-master capability that was standard in IBM's
products due to an edict from marketing over-riding engineering
(at IBM). As I recall, it was announced in 1987. There may have
been a few other "cloned" MCA systems before that, but the Tandy
system was the first that had actually paid the license fee to IBM
to produce one without threat of lawsuit. The machine sank like a
stone, as every non-PC compatible Intel-based Tandy product using
more than an 8085 CPU did. (Example, Tandy 2000, Tandy 600). Not
that the 8085-based Tandy 200 was a raving success or the AT-clone
Tandy 3000. The 5000MC was however a record in sink speed. (The
NCR MCA-bus machines later [and lasting a goodly while] came out of
server development circles, not the desktop side, and were quite
successful well into the AT&T days. And MCA was active at IBM in
the RS/6000 series until only a couple-three years ago, though with
no Intel CPUs involved).
--
Ward Griffiths wdg3rd_at_home.com <http://members.home.net/wdg3rd>
WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
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Received on Wed Oct 06 1999 - 19:42:42 BST