website/content/museum/altos-computer-systems-acs-186.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Altos Computer Systems ACS-186	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1984	iApx 186	name company company_name specs comments oc_id source ACS-186 /companies/altos-computer-systems Altos Computer Systems label value NAME ACS-186 label value MANUFACTURER Altos Computer Systems label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1984 label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke professional keyboard, editing and numeric keypads, 16 function keys label value CPU iApx 186 label value SPEED 8 Mhz label value RAM 512 kb label value TEXT MODES 80 x 25 label value GRAPHIC MODES 640 x 400 label value COLORS Yes... label value SOUND Beeper label value I/O PORTS 2 x RS232/Serial ports label value BUILT IN MEDIA 720k 3''1/2 disk-drive and 10Mb or 21Mb hard-disk label value OS Xenix label value POWER SUPPLY PSU built-in label value PRICE 12350 (France, september 1984) author date text Art Cancro (USA) Friday 11th October 2013 Altos 186 and 486 systems did indeed run the Intel 80186 processor, which were passed over by the PC world. Typically there would be one to four terminals attached, one of which was the system console. The version of unix that it ran was a port of Xenix, which was Microsoft''s port of Unix. Yes it was "real" unix, albeit a somewhat limited one. However, most unix software could be made to run on it. Altos computers of this era were Intel based but most of them were not "IBM compatible." Altos did not see any need to do that since their machines were never intended to run MS-DOS. author date text Jeff Nisler Wednesday 22nd December 2010 I worked at Altos when the 186 system came out. I porterd a version of the Pick OS to it in 1984 (a solo effort, which was never offered for sale). And I can tell you why it was a slow pig running zenix - the size was made small by removing hardware to a bare minimum, and in the balance the main cpu had to also be the CRT controller - the OS had to sit 2nd seat to the controller, or you wouldn''t see anything.\ I have one of the prototypes, and it still works. author date text Donald S. Campbell Wednesday 10th March 2010 I attempted to use the 80186 based Altos many times, but it was a failure from the beginning. It was officially called ACS486. It''s speed was horrible, and the reliability almost nonexistant. It was a blunder of gigantic proportions. I bought several at the ''bargain'' price of $4k each, and soon discovered why the great discount - they were junk. Howver, the other Altoses I''ve used, including ACS8000-10, ACS580, ACS586, ACS2086, ACS1000, and ACS2000, are easily among the best systems in their class. My OS of choice from the beginning was Oasis8-16/Theos, and it still would be if the Altos was still available. Altoses running Theos were unbeatable - Xenix/Unix were slow and made for support groups - not efficiency and productivity, where it counts. 528 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20221127121630/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=528 2022-11-27

The Altos 186 was based on the "brand new" 16-bit iApx 186 CPU, in fact the (sometimes called "Lost Generation") Intel 80186.

Compared to the previous Altos models, the new design made it less bulky. The main unit is at last smaller than the keyboard or the monitor. The main unit houses a 720k 3.5" disk-drive and a 10 MB hard-disk.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.