Date   : Wed, 24 Oct 1990 23:52:12 GMT
From   : titanic.cs.wisc.edu!tonyrich@speedy.wisc.edu (Anthony Rich)
Subject: Need info for an S-100 bus system

Dag Erik Lindberg writes:

>Cromix requires Cromemco's dual CPU card, and the OS itself runs on the
>68000 CPU only.  You could run multiple CDOS sessions time-sliced on the
>Z80 CPU.  (CDOS is/was their CP/M clone).

That's Cromemco's "68000 Cromix"...I have an old version of it and
still use it.  But Cromemco also sold a different product called
"Z80 Cromix."  I saw it running once, a long, long time ago.

Here's a blurb about Z80 Cromix from an old Cromemco product catalog:

"Cromemco's CROMIX multi-user, multi-tasking operating system is a UNIX-
like system which is available for use on all Cromemco Z80-A microcomputer
systems with a minimum of 128K of RAM. [...]  Important features:

. Multiple tasks, multiple users [I wonder what response time was like?!]
. Multiple hierarchical directories
. Record level locking
. Interprocess communication using pipes & signals
. Execution of multiple processes in a single memory bank
. Prioritized process execution
. I/O redirection
. Flexible shell [Actually pretty primitive.  Looping via IF - GOTO...]
. Login with password, access permissions on files
. Resident, swapping-free execution of tasks and servicing of users
  through bank selection for rapid context switching."

Not too bad for a cut-down UNIX-like OS that ran on a Z80 and floppies.
I wonder if there are any surviving copies out there?

  -- Tony

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