yann64andClaude Opus 5.5
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1,289 discussions, 9,527 archived comments; pages no longer carry the comments themselves. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
101 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
101 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Xerox 6085
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categories:
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- Computers
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types:
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- Professional Computer
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origins:
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- U.S.A.
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years:
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- '1985'
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cpus:
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- Xerox Mesa
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params:
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name: '6085'
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image: /media/museum/photos/xerox_6085_system_s1.jpg
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company: /companies/xerox
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company_name: Xerox
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specs:
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- label: NAME
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value: '6085'
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- label: MANUFACTURER
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value: Xerox
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- label: TYPE
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value: Professional Computer
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- label: ORIGIN
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value: U.S.A.
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- label: YEAR
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value: '1985'
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- label: END OF PRODUCTION
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value: '1989'
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- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
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value: None
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- label: KEYBOARD
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value: 95 key Typewriter style with 20 funtion keys and numeric keypad
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- label: CPU
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value: Xerox Mesa
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- label: SPEED
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value: 8 MHz
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- label: CO-PROCESSOR
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value: Unknown
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- label: RAM
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value: 1.1 MB up to 3.7 MB
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- label: VRAM
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value: Unknown
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- label: ROM
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value: Unknown
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- label: TEXT MODES
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value: Bit-map characters
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- label: GRAPHIC MODES
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value: 880 x 697 dots
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- label: COLORS
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value: Monochrome
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- label: SOUND
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value: Yes, see below
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- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
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value: Unknown
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- label: I/O PORTS
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value: 2 serial ports
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- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
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value: 5.25 floppy drive, 10 to 80 MB HDD
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- label: OS
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value: Xerox ViewPoint
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- label: POWER SUPPLY
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value: Built-in power supply unit
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- label: PERIPHERALS
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value: Unknown
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- label: PRICE
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value: From $4995
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tabs:
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- adverts
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forum_thread: 1025
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adverts:
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- title: XEROX RANGE, AUGUST 1985
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: /media/museum/pubs/xerox_6085_pub_s1.jpg
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oc_id: 1052
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source:
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url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608082628/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1052
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date: '2023-06-08'
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---
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The Xerox 6085 was the successor of the revolutionary Xerox **Star**, first commercial computer to use a graphical user interface (GUI) with the familiar desktop, icons and a mouse.
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The 6085 series was offered in models for network, remote (linked by Ethernet) and stand alone operation. The main unit was founded upon Xerox's Mesa 8 MHz processor which had 256 auxiliary registers and executed 48-bit-wide instructions. It also used an 80186 as an auxiliary processor.
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The basic system came with 1.1 MB of memory, expandable up to 3.7 MB, a 10 to 80 MB hard disk drive, two serial ports and a 15-inch high-resolution monochrome display. An optional card allowed the 6085 to run MS-DOS software.
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The operating system and GUI interface was called **ViewPoint**. It also came from the Star. It was written in a language developed at Xerox PARC in the 1970's and also called **Mesa**. This strongly-typed and structured high-level language, would have a large influence on future well known languages like Pascal or C.
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Two improved versions were launched afterwards, the **6085-II** with an almost twice as fast processor, and the **XPIW** (Xerox Publishing Illustrator's Workstation), basically a 6085 workstation with a scanner.\
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Sadly, like the Alto, the 6085 didn't meet a large success in spite of numerous vanguard concepts, mainly because the Xerox marketing policy was, at the time, above all directed towards copiers rather than computers.
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---
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**David Lowy** was part of the field technical and marketing support team:\
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There were four peripherals available for the 6085. A Tape Drive for backup (using a cartridge). A Xerox 4045 Laser Printer/Copier (When sold together, it was called a Documenter). A Xerox 7650 flatbed scanner. And lastly a PC Option card that added a 386 class processor along with MS DOS to enable running MS-DOS applications.
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About the sound capabilities, **Edward T. Weeden** specifies:\
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I was part of the original team working on the release of the Xerox 6085 PCS (Professional Computer System). I was scanning your description of it and noted that you do not know if it was sound-capable. It was. As a matter of fact, I programmed many tunes and sounds for it in the Xerox proprietary programming language called CUSP. This thing would play sound in sequence. For example, if you were doing something which took up buffer/time, you could click on the bell icon on your desktop and the bell sound (whatever tune you had in the icon properties) would sound in sequence, after the other stuff was done!...
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