Bell Tech Unix Review #2

[Larry Williamson]

In article <250 at belltec.UUCP> dar at belltec.UUCP (Dimitri Rotow) writes:
>In article <195 at focsys.UUCP>, larry at focsys.UUCP (Larry Williamson) writes:
>> 
>> This is a review of my experience with the Bell Tech Unix.
>> 
>[Larry writes a balanced review where a few points need updates ...]
>
>> . no cmos ram update commands (ie. setup in uport)
>>   if you want to modify the realtime clock or other
>>   cmos ram parameters, you must write your own program. It's not very
>***** Well, not really ... most of us PC jocks just use the "SETUP" program
>every PC on earth comes with, either on floppy or in ROM.

But I want to do it from unix, I'd rather not boot dos if I don't have to.

It's a small complaint. I don't really mind, personally. But it is 
something that I had gotten used to on the uport 286 product.

>
>> . So far our Everex Streamer (QIC36 interface card, long card) does not
>>   work. The tape driver is 'just a little different'. I don't know yet
>>   for sure if it is a bt problem
>***** You're right ... 
>We don't sell a driver for Everex's product: that's why it doesn't
>work.  

We spent some time getting a tape drive that would work with our
Microport software. Much of the problems were our fault. We finally
settled on this Everex drive. Before we bought the BTUnix, I asked
our marketing contact at BT if the QIC36 tape driver (I'm pretty
sure I mentioned it was an everex drive) would work. "I think so. The
tech sheet I have here says that our software works with these tape
drives"

Now I have a tape drive that I can use to backup our uport systems, 
but I can't backup our BT systems (except on a VERY slow floppy drive).

We even went to the trouble to by an external tape drive so that we
would be able to use it on all our unix systems and the dos systems
in house.  Just by an extra interface card for every system, and move
the tape drive around.

Dimitri, Is there a special interface card that I can buy from you that
will work with this external everex Excel60 tape drive? I want to buy
one. Please tell Renee if there is, I will talk to here and order one.

>
>> . does not support RLL
>>     on the disk. I'm stuck with 17. BT says I need a special rom that will
>>     define a drive type that has 26 sectors per track. I should by this from
>>     intel, they say. Intel says, "a what? never heard of it!".
>
>Larry, surely you know that virtually the entire PC AT world lives and dies by
> [...]
>contents of the ROM (within limits), but part of the value of buying the
>*right* clone is getting a well rounded disk drive table in the BIOS.  Lots

Our system uses the Intel motherboard! This is the SAME motherboard
that is in the system you sell! The difference is that you ask intel
to replace this rom with a special one.  Unfortunately, I can't
convince the Intel people here that there is such a rom and I want
one.  All I want is one of these roms.  Your Tech support people
have told me that they will not sell me one.  Intel says they don't
know what on earth I'm talking about.  Please, give me a name and a
phone number so that I can get one.

We would liked to have bought your computer.  We did not because we
felt that if we had any hardware problems, it would be easier to get
the system fixed by the local distributor rather than shipping it
back and forth across the border.  The border between our countries
is quite open, it is still a hassle.  Since your system uses the
Intel mother board, I made a point of getting a system that used the
Intel mother board too.  I figured I would have no compatiblity
problems this way. 

We won't buy through your canadian distributor because their markup
is out of this world.

>> 
>> We bought the BLIT express card with the system. We needed a display
>> system that would display 256 level (64 for now is enough) grey scale.
>> The ads for the BLIT card implied that it would do this.
>******  Larry, I've just read all of our ads three times and it says nothing
>about 256 level grey scale.  In fact, the words "grey scale" don't even 
>appear in any of our literature or advertising.  Believe me, given the 

Yes you are right. I attributed to your ads, converstations I had with
your marketing people. It was when we were deciding to buy your system
that I asked some questions about grey scale. The person I was asking
could not answer me for sure, but said that it seemed likely that the
board would support many levels of grey. I went out on a limb and
decided to get the board. Princeton makes a monitor, the PCM-03 that
from their ad looks like it might help me out here. I've got to get
hold of them to know for sure.

>Despite the comments, thank you for your (mostly) positive review! 
>
>- Dimitri Rotow

You're welcome. We are mostly happy with the product. Probably the only
complaint that I have that I should point at BT for is the RLL support.

The product that we are developing will not be bothered by any of the
complaints that I've leveled here. We will use what ever backup system
is available, and it will be an internal unit. The RLL support will not
be a big issue either. 

The problem is mostly the development environment. We are developing
quite a large system. We NEED more that 60 Meg of hard disk. Even now
it is about 80% full and I still want to install an nroff package. I
think I'm going to have to install a second hard disk. Our company is
small. I cannot just go and buy another tape drive for every system
we bring in the door. I want to be able to use the same one on all our
systems.

Larry
--
Larry Williamson                  Focus Automation Systems Inc.
uucp: watmath!focsys!larry              (519) 576-8558
                                        (519) 746-4918