On Sat, 28 Oct 2000, Joe wrote:
> Sure, I have several of them but I haven't used one in a while. They're
> the same thing as a 3B1 except that the 3B1s usually have a hump on them
There are some other differences as well, but I don't recall them at
the moment; not major differences, however. My first UNIX box was a
3B1, and I've still got the machine running, although the original
Micropolis hard drive is no more - which is a pity, as I liked the
sound it made. I used to get a UUCP newsfeed and mail on my 3B1,
which, I must admit, was more fun that using PPP. :-) Does anyone here
still use UUCP for news and e-mail?
These are fun machines, and there's a fairly large amount of software
available for them, from GCC to Emacs to Tetris... although as someone
pointed out, a lot of the newer, larger, UNIX packages won't run on
them and there's no X windows - e.g., don't expect to run GIMP or
Netscape on one. However, if you want a nifty, customizeable,
computerized telephone answering machine or something fun to run a BBS
system on, or to use for e-mail and a small newsfeed, a 3B1 will do
rather nicely.
If you can find a tape drive & controller and ethernet board, grab
them, as the system will be much more useful with them. Also, the
development set is a must have if you want these machines to be
useful.
> that houses a full height hard drive. Many of the 7300s have been field
> modified to include the hump and FH drive. They run UNIX and have a good
They run what's basically AT&T System V Unix. TCP/IP software isn't
included; it's an optional package from Wollengong that's usually
found with the ethernet board.
> set of programs with them. They're usually password protected but unless
> someone has "fixed" the OS, it's easy to break into them. One of the
AFAIK, the attempts at getting the OS sources released were never
successful - does anyone have any info. about this? Without hacking
the OS, one can make noticeable security improvements by disabling the
window manager and fixing permissions, etc.
> former list members, Ward Donald Griffiths III <gram_at_cnct.com>, used to
> work on these and is very knowlegdeable about them. Make sure that you get
> the mouse, keyboard and monitor for it. I don't think there are any others
> that will work on them so you need the original ones.
Erm... getting one without a monitor wouldn't be too easy, as the
monitor is attached to top of the chasis and isn't removeable.
Getting the chasis open is a bit tricky, so go slow with doing that,
as you can break something easily. For repairs, it's helpful to find
one of the binders containing the set of schematics - these were rare
several years ago, however. Comp.sys.3b1 used to be a very active
newsgroup; it still exists.
BTW, would anyone here happen to have a set of voice power card
floppies and docs for the 3B1/7300 that they could clone?
Notes: the variable-speed DC fans were known to fail, and result in
melting chasis, so, if you plan to leave yours on, you may wish to
consider replacing the fan, or fans (some systems have one, some two).
--
Copyright (C) 2000 R. D. Davis "The best way to gain a true understanding of
All Rights Reserved Wile E. Coyote on the Roadrunner cartoons is to
rdd_at_perqlogic.com 410-744-4900 fly, head-first, off a horse into something like
http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd a fence or a tree; trust me, this works." --RDD
Received on Sat Oct 28 2000 - 21:31:29 BST