Altos 586
 | |
| Manufacturer | Altos Computer Systems |
|---|---|
| Type | Microcomputer |
| Release date | 1983 |
| Introductory price | US$7,990–10,990 (circa US$25,200–34,700 today) |
| Media | 1 MB floppy drive |
| Operating system | Xenix or MP/M-86 |
| CPU | Intel 8086 16 bit @ 10 MHz |
| Memory | 512 KB to 1 MB RAM; 12, 32, and 42 MB hard drive options |
| Connectivity | 8x RS-232C serial port, expandable to 16; parallel printer port |
The Altos 586 is a multi-user microcomputer that was intended for the business market. It was introduced by Altos Computer Systems in 1983.
Description
[edit]Introduced in 1983,[1] a configuration with 512 KB of RAM, an Intel 8086 processor, Microsoft Xenix, and 10 MB hard drive cost about US$8,000.[2] Altos designed a custom memory management unit as the 8086 lacks the functionality.[1]
3Com offered this Altos 586 product as a file server for their IBM PC networking solution in spring 1983.[citation needed] The network was 10BASE2 (thin-net) based, with an Ethernet AUI port on the Altos 586.
Reception
[edit]"Unlike the rest of the Altos product line", InfoWorld said in November 1983, "the 586 is amazingly lightweight, full-featured, powerful and fast". The review praised the "amazing" 10MHz 8086 and other hardware, reported excellent single- and multiuser performance, and approved of the large software library and "much improved" documentation. While advising having a "UNIX guru on staff", the review concluded that the 586 was "one of the few inexpensive supermicros to cross the multiuser barrier successfully".[1]
BYTE in August 1984 called the Altos 586 "an excellent multiuser UNIX system", with "the best performance" for the price among small Unix systems. The magazine reported that a US$10,000 (equivalent to $30,300 in 2024)[3] Altos with 512 KB RAM and 40 MB hard drive "under moderate load approaches DEC VAX performance for most tasks that a user would normally invoke."[4] A longer review in March 1985 stated that "despite some bugs, it's a good product." It criticized the documentation and lack of customer service for developers, but praised the multiuser performance. The author reported that his 586 had run a multiuser bulletin board system 24 hours a day for more than two years with no hardware failures. He concluded that "Very few UNIX or XENIX computers can provide all of the features of the 586 for $8990", especially for multiuser turnkey business users.[5]
See also
[edit]- Fortune XP 20[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Halamka, John (7 November 1983). "Review: Altos 586". InfoWorld. Vol. 5, no. 45. pp. 89–90.
- ^ Yates, Jean L. (October 1983). "Unix and the Standardization of Small Computer Systems". BYTE. pp. 160–166. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Altos 586". oldcomputers.net. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ Hinnant, David F. (Aug 1984). "Benchmarking UNIX Systems". BYTE. pp. 132–135, 400–409. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ Corson, Greg (March 1985). "The Altos 586 with the XENIX Development System". BYTE. p. 247. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ Brand, Stewart (1984). Whole Earth Software Catalog. Quantum Press/Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-19166-1.
You can now buy extremely fast UNIX systems that support multiple users for less than $10,000, including the new Fortune XP 20, the Altos 586, and the Tandy Model 16.