Date   : Tue, 20 Sep 1988 16:29:33 GMT
From   : tektronix!orca!tekecs!frip!andrew@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Andrew Klossner)
Subject: Z-80 Unix?

[]

       "Years ago, the C Users Group talked about a Z-80 Unix-like
       operating system in one of their newsletters. (I don't know
       about now, but back then, you got a copy of all the back-issues
       when you joined; that's where I saw it) Unfortunately, I don't
       think it was ever released, as the author of the system was
       killed in a swimming or boating accident (I think)."

This was the MARC system (I think that's the name ... elapsed time
isn't good for brain cells).  Scuttlebutt at the time had it that, upon
the fellow's death, one of his acquaintances, a Los Angeles area
consultant, swooped in on the grieving widow and talked her into
selling him exclusive rights to the work in progress.  He then spent
years getting it in shape on a part-time basis, issuing periodic,
tantalizing "it's almost done" notes to the net, until an un-backed-up
hard disk crashed and all was lost.

(The "swooping" part is single-source rumor.  The rest is confirmed.)

  -=- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew)       [UUCP]
                        (andrew%tekecs.tek.com@relay.cs.net)   [ARPA]