Shameless self promotion... was Poly88 on ebay

From: Joe R. <rigdonj_at_cfl.rr.com>
Date: Fri Oct 1 18:12:11 2004

At 04:14 PM 9/30/04 -0700, you wrote:
>>From: "Bryan Blackburn" <oldcomp_at_cox.net>
>---snip---
>>
>>I may be whacked in the head, but what did the Poly 88 innovate other
>>than cuteness? Or maybe that doesn't matter because it is has an s-100 buss?
>
>Hi
> Actually it did provide a turning point in micro processors.
>It was the first S-100 to have only a power and reset button on the front.
>It had a monitor ROM built in that provided a display of memory and
>registers, using the memory mapped video. The ROM also had the
>tape read code built in. They'd have put the tape write code in
>it as well but that was all they could squeeze into the 1K EPROM.
>The tape was capable of both Byte format and a high speed ( I forget
>if it was 9600 or 4800 ). To write to the tape, one could enter
>the program through the monitor. Of course, it made sense to save
>that program as your first tape program.

   OK so what's the big deal? Intel had all of these features in their
MDS-800s (and maybe in their earlier Intellecs, I don't know). The MDS was
Multibus but that's no big deal.



 The Poly88 had its problems.
>cooling was a big issue.
> I have two of these, fully operational :)

    I think I have NINE MDSs all functional :-)

    Joe

>Dwight
>
>
>
Received on Fri Oct 01 2004 - 18:12:11 BST