website/content/museum/att-unix-pc.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
ATT Unix PC	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1985	Motorola MC68010	name image company company_name specs tabs links comments oc_id source Unix PC /media/museum/photos/att_unixpc_system_s1.jpg /companies/att ATT label value NAME Unix PC label value MANUFACTURER ATT label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1985 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Bourne Shell Scripting, C and ASM with optional Software label value KEYBOARD Detachable 103-key QWERTY label value CPU Motorola MC68010 (16 bit external bus, 32bit internal) with custom MMU label value SPEED 10 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR Custom Gate Arrays for DMA (3), 8088 (86?) on optional DOS-73 label value RAM 512 KB / 1 MB / 2 MB / 4 MB label value ROM 16 KB EPROM holding Boot Strap, Diagnostics etc. label value TEXT MODES 80 columns x 29 rows label value GRAPHIC MODES 348 x 720 on built-in 12'' Monitor label value COLORS Green On Black Monochrome label value SOUND Beeper label value I/O PORTS Centronics, RS-232c, Tip/Ring Line Modular Phone Jacks (2), RJ11 Phone Jack (1). Internal Expansion Slot (3), Internal 300/1200 bps modem label value BUILT IN MEDIA 10 or 20mb hard drive then later 40 and 67mb hard drive. 5 1/4 label value OS AT&T Unix v3.51, Unix based on System V r2 with extensions from BSD 4.1, BSD 4.2, SysV r3 and Convergent Technologies label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in PSU label value PERIPHERALS Three button optomachanical mouse\ Ethernet\ DOS-73 board, 512kb RAM board, 2mb RAM board, Dual EIA Port board\ EIA/RAM Combo board\ 23 MB Tape Drive label value PRICE $5590 for 10mb HDD, 512Kb RAM and Unix\ $6590 for 20mb HDD, 1mb RAM and Unix\ $1195 for 512kb expansion card links title url text AT&T 7300/3b1 (UNIXPC) Stuff http://www.unixpc.org/ title url text Unix PC Archive Holdings http://unixpc.taronga.com/ author date text Jesse (United States) Tuesday 8th June 2021 There is an AT$T UNIX PC emulator called FreeBee, available on github: philpem/freebee author date text David (United States) Wednesday 7th June 2017 I received a PC7300 with a nearly full set of manuals and disks. I need to see if I can get those disks imaged so that they can be shared. author date text Mister Technological Archaeologist MD PHD NUT Wednesday 1st February 2017 This looks like the beginning of UNIX/LINUX/BSD for the home computer user. Emulators don''t work. I am bumbed :-( But over the years all the software on this system has already been ported and updated to all corners of the round earth. :-) author date text AJ Friday 16th December 2016 The voice mail board you describe was called "Voice Power''. It was one of the first menu-directed systems. 3B1 systems could have several boards. It had text to speech as well. author date text Aaron Lochard (USA) Wednesday 3rd November 2010 This is such a fantastic machine. I''ve had one for several years now. Unfortunately shortly after receiving it in working condition, I could not help but to open it up to see the insides. This was a difficult machine to get open, and somehow I have managed to do something to it. It no longer boots, and I do not have the OS to try to restore it to working condition. author date text Laurent LATHIEYRE (Paris, France) Wednesday 4th August 2010 One of my experience in computing! Very innovative piece of equipment, could handle phone calls, very versatile. author date text PeterG (UK) Tuesday 27th April 2010 I used these systems in the UK when I was employed by Computer Automation.\ We had difficulty persuading users to shutdown properly so regular reinstalls were needed from 33 (or so) floppy disks. I believe that this is a variant of the Convergent Technologies Unix PC? author date text Albert (USA) Thursday 25th March 2010 I was so envious of my room-mate who had one. Though the hard drive made a high pitched pinging noise that kept me up at night. 1164 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230328011733/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1164 2023-03-28

The AT&T UnixPC was AT&T's attempt to get into the business computer market of the mid-1980s. There were two flavors of this machine: the 7300, and the 3B1. Basically the circuitry is identical in both machines however the 3B1 allowed more room for hard-drive storage, as shown with the ominous bulge underneath the screen. (not shown in model above).

The windowing manager was absolutely wonderful keeping the UNIX system well hidden, however, you could naturally open a shell and interface directly. The graphics system was neat as well - there is a 3D bitmap demo online somewhere.

These computers could support 3 terminals with an add-on card for concurrent use by up to 4 users (one at he console, one on the built-in port, and one each on the two add-on ports).

The keyboard could be "nested" on the shelf in front of the floppy drive. The sound was limited to beeps.

There was also an add-on board with a speech synthesizer which could turn the UnixPC into a full-fleged voicemail management system.

An absolutely wonderful and advanced computer for it's time, which can still teach modern computers a lesson in innovation.

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Contributors: Domenic Schipani, Gary Clouse

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