In 1989 we bought from ADDS an "unbundled" version of Mentor on a
Toshiba laptop. That system gave up its ghost a long time ago. I am
interested in getting the same Toshiba and make it part of the Pick
Museum.

Anyone familiar with this package please contact me. I am interested
in knowing which model Toshiba was used.

I am also interested in any specific documentation and/or media.

Henry Keultjes hbkeultjes (AT) earthlink (DOT) net
Database Scientifics Project http://www.ncolug.org/ppc.htm
Mansfield Ohio USA
Voice 419-525-1111 .

Hi Henry,

My guess is that the version of Mentor was called PC/OS - probably
version 3.0. This later migrated to Mentor PRO in version 4.0.

There were two versions of PC/OS - one for 386's and one for 486's.

I used to have some installation floppies, but I think they have long
gone. Documentation for Mentor PRO is still on the RD web site.

PC/OS would install on any (most?) PC's. It wouldn't have to be a
Toshiba specifically. The bootup process took a long time which a
message like "Inspecting hardware configuration" appearing on the screen.

Cheers,

Brian Speirs

hbkeultjes (AT) gmail (DOT) com wrote:

Strange that the reply is #1 in this topic cue. I never saw the
original post.

Henry
Brian Speirs wrote:

pc/os 3 wasn't out until like 93, so this was something earlier.

Brian Speirs wrote:

Because of the "bundling" of PS/OS with the Toshiba laptop, I am sure
that it was the original version of PC/OS. Would that have been a 286
version?

Henry


Ed Clark wrote:

The first version of pc/os that I had was version 2, in 1993. Adds was
advertising it at the time in Pick News and Review as something new, so
I guess what you had would have had to be version 1 if it was pc/os.
In 1989, a 386 laptop would have been something VERY expensive I think?
so it was probably a 286.

hbkeultjes (AT) gmail (DOT) com wrote:

<original post>
In 1989 we bought from ADDS an "unbundled" version of Mentor on a
Toshiba laptop. That system gave up its ghost a long time ago. I am
interested in getting the same Toshiba and make it part of the Pick
Museum.

Anyone familiar with this package please contact me. I am interested
in knowing which model Toshiba was used.

I am also interested in any specific documentation and/or media.

Henry Keultjes hbkeultjes (AT) earthlink (DOT) net
Database Scientifics Project http://www.ncolug.org/ppc.htm
Mansfield Ohio USA
Voice 419-525-1111 .
</original post>

You are talking about the Toshiba 1500 laptop with the Amber Plasma display
and two nine pin serial ports? Ran MS DOS 3.09 or something with the Mentor
Pro o/s for demonstrations. IIRC O/S versions may have started around v2.6
or 2.8, but I know we had 3.0 on one of them.

I just may be able to lay hands on one or two that might even boot up!!!
Let me see, where is that big ass box with all the dust on it? I'll shoot
you an email...


BFaux

Henry,
This may be off-base, but Olivetti built a PC back in the early 80's with an
OS they called PCOS.
It was a unix style os (ls, cp, mv commands) and a very slick implementation
of interpreted BASIC that allowed one to build multiple windows within a
single screen, each re-sizable and with the ability to set different font
sizes.

Their M-20 model was powered by a zilog z8001, 16 bit processor.

Here's a link to some info that may be insightful
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/...asp?st=1&c=611

I thought it was far ahead of the microsoft stuff, but unfortunately
Olivetti did a miserable job promoting the machine. I had the opportunity
to write some nice applications using that system back in 82 or 83.

It was a high-priced option, about 5 grand, and back in 1982 that was a
significant amount of money. Just think what you can buy today for 5 grand!!

Unfortunately, the M20 wound up in a land fill.

Here's a name you might like for your Pick museum - an obsolerium. A place
where obsolete technologies are relegated for storage and/or display.

Lee Bacall

Ed:

I am certain that it was 1989, slim chance that it was early 1990
because we sold the chair company at the end of 1989 and I only used
the Toshiba for PC/OS. I recall that my cost was roughly $3K which I
believe was totally for the Toshiba. It was much later that I bought
MentorPro which I used on a 486 which just within the last few months
gave up its CMOS battery power and that I want to transfer to a Pentium
machine now.

If I can determine that the first PC/OS was indeed a 386, I know that
the Toshiba must have been a T-5100 and that's the one I have already.
If it was 286 I will have to keep looking for a T-3100.

Anyone else with any insights?

I replied to Lee's post seperately.

Henry Keultjes

Ed Clark wrote: