VAX 11/785 as a workstation :-)

From: Zane H. Healy <healyzh_at_aracnet.com>
Date: Thu Aug 2 18:46:15 2001

> Last night I was browsing the UNIBUS/PDP-11 field guide on the
> Web before I went to sleep. Then I dreamed of a VAX 11/785 with
> an UNIBUS extension cabinet full of cards. Included was a 3, 4,
> 5, or so card-set that together comprises a video interface. Hook
> up a composite monitor or RGB monitor and there you have it:
>
> A VAX 11/785 as a workstation!
>
> Write a driver for X11R6 for it and off we go. Has anybody ever
> seen those UNIBUS video monitor adapter sets? I suppose they
> were meant for PDP-11s, but I think running them with a VAX
> would be way cooler. Might not be possible, and certainly would
> involve some serious fiddling. But in a machine that has 10 or
> more cards for just the CPU, a 4 board video adapter would be
> the appropriate thing, wouldn't it? :-)

Read up on the VS100. It hooks up the the VAX 11/78x via a fiberoptic
cable. IIRC, this was the original development platform for X11. Warning,
there seems to be very little info available on the VS100.

                        Zane
Received on Thu Aug 02 2001 - 18:46:15 BST