UNIX PC BOF Minutes for 1990 Winter USENIX Conference (unformatted)
Lenny Tropiano
lenny at icus.islp.ny.us
Fri Feb 9 14:56:07 AEST 1990
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X.\"
X.\" **************************************************************************
X.\" * USENIX BOF Minutes for Winter 1990 USENIX / Washington DC *
X.\" * *
X.\" * (uses [nt]roff's MM macros which is automatically included) *
X.\" * *
X.\" * (c)1990 ICUS Software Systems, Lenny Tropiano, Gil Kloepfer, Jr. *
X.\" * *
X.\" * $ nroff BOFw90.mm | lp *
X.\" **************************************************************************
X.\"
X.so /usr/lib/tmac/tmac.m
X.PH ""
X.nr Pt 1
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X--------------------------------------------
X1990 Winter USENIX: AT&T UNIX pc BOF Minutes
X--------------------------------------------
X.sp
X.ce 3
XSponsored by ICUS Software Systems
XLenny Tropiano (lenny at icus.islp.ny.us)
XGil Kloepfer, Jr. (...!ames!limbic!gil)
X.sp
X.ce 3
XWednesday, June 24, 1989
XOmni Shoreham Hotel
XCalvert Room
X.sp 4
X.ad
X.fi
X.P
XThe 1990 Winter USENIX conference once again was the home of the
XUNIX-pc BOF session. As always, our thanks are extended to those
Xwho attended the BOF for making it the technical exchange forum
Xthat it is meant to be. As is always the case, there are those
Xwho cannot make it to the conference for one reason or another,
Xand we hope that this summary again provides you with a little
Xinsight regarding the event you missed. For those who did attend,
Xwe hope that this summary is something you can keep in a file
Xon your computer somewhere for reference and possibly some ideas
Xfor the next BOF.
X.PF "''- % -''"
X.P
XWhat we tried to do, and succeeded to some extent in doing, was
Xto spice-up the BOF with examples of the more obscure or unusual
Xcapabilities which can be exploited using some of the expansion
Xhardware. Those who came to the BOF early had a unique opportunity
Xto see what went-on "behind-the-scenes" during the BOF set-up, and
Xtook the time to ask questions about the demonstrations. In Gil's
Xopinion, these people got the most out of the demonstrations.
X.P
XThe BOF opened as usual with Lenny's electronic artwork on the
Xoverhead transparencies and a summary of what was to be covered
Xduring the BOF. This was:
X.nf
X.na
X
X
X Hardware
X o ICUS 2nd drive/P5.1 upgrade
X o Bigger hard disks
X o WD2010 (seek performance)
X o Voice Power boards
X o Botton's VIDPAL
X o Custom UNIX pc cases
X (Dapoz design/ICUS Design)
X
X
X Software
X o "Jukebox" (Voice Power) demo
X o Answering Machine (Voice Power) demo
X o USENIX FaceSaver Display demo
X o MGR ("manager") demo
X o UNIX 3.51 FIXDISK 2.0
X o Public Domain (wmgr, ph, login)
X o "Archived" UNIX-pc Software
X o Alex Crain's sockets, symbolic links
X
X
X Miscellaneous
X o UNIX-pc Technical Newsletter
X o UNIX-pc Reference Manuals
X
X
X.ad
X.fi
X.P
XUnfortunately, what disappointed some was the fact that there were
Xtoo many things planned to be covered, and many of them did not get
Xcovered as completely as they were during the BOF in June.
X.P
XLenny opened the discussion by making some brief comments regarding
Xthe status of getting the UNIX-pc kernel source code (no further
Xalong than before), how to obtain the hard disk upgrade, the success
Xrate of the UNIX-pc hardware reference manual deal, and touched briefly
Xon the WD2010 modification and its benefits. All of these have been
Xdiscussed on the net in detail, but some had some questions and this
Xwas the time to have them answered.
X.P
XThe first demonstration and, perhaps, the bulk of the BOF was the
Xport of the MGR windowing system to the UNIX-pc. Lenny showed how
XMGR was implemented on the UNIX-pc, and the various utilities
Xwith which MGR comes packaged. Among the more familiar MGR
Xbells-and-whistles were the X-like clock, a numeric digital clock, and a
XMickey Mouse clock, as well as an icon editor facility. This,
Xagain, brought-up the proverbial X-port discussion, and those who
Xwanted to know "why do I need MGR?"
X.P
XDiscussions about porting X-windows to the UNIX-pc can be summarized
Xin one sentence, "X windows can be ported to the UNIX-pc, but we
Xneed someone to write it." Nobody at the BOF volunteered to port X,
Xbut the MGR demonstration did spark some additional enthusiasm
Xabout doing it.
X.P
XThe second question regarding the necessity to use MGR over, say,
Xthe current windowing system or a port of X windows was a bit more
Xinvolved. Gil's one-line answer was, "...because someone wrote
Xit already, and it provides a good porting base to other systems."
XHowever, this answer didn't seem to be the answer that most of
Xthe group was looking for, and further discussion continued. In
Xgeneral, although there was an air of apprehension about how useful
XMGR would be, there was a feeling of awe in seeing the speed and
Xresponsiveness of a public-domain windowing system. MGR definitely
Xout-performed the current window driver in reacting to menu requests,
Xwindow resize/move, etc. There are yet problems in the speed of the pty
Xdrivers used to communicate between MGR-windows and the operating
Xsystem. During the next six months, we hope to see various
Xincarnations of MGR in the works, as well as some work in porting
XX windows.
X.P
XDuring that time, Alex Crain was questioned about his socket
Xlibrary. He commented that there were several people using
Xit currently, and they seemed to have little trouble to date.
X.P
XThe MGR demonstration was followed by Gil's demonstration of some
Xunique (and not-so-unique) applications using the AT&T Voice Power
Xspeech processor board. The demo began with a synthesized speech
Xrecital of the Pledge of Allegiance with a crudely-drawn American
Xflag on the display. Funny as it may sound, it was an attempt at
Xshowing just what progress has been made in voice response systems
Xover the past 7 years.
X.P
XThe second voice response demonstration was an answering machine
Xwhich used the Voice Power board as the sole form of communication
Xover the phone lines (ie. no tape recorders were used). Simple
Xas it sounds, the answering machine program can be a
Xmore complex application as it needs many voice response messages
Xto communicate with the user. As one attendee noted, there
Xwere computer synthesized messages for the answering machine
Xattendant. A reason for these messages, as Gil explained, was
Xto keep the program complexity down. Removing the synthesized
Xspeech would have involved digitizing many digits, providing a
Xmeans to parse the digits (with the proper inflection), then
Xadding the "filler" voice response messages to both ends of the
Xrecited numbers. Gil noted that an interesting "feature" of the
Xroom where the BOF was held was that there were two hotel telephone
Xlines. This made the answering machine demonstration a little more
Xrealistic.
X.P
XThe last voice response demonstration was a computer-controlled
Xjukebox. The software provided a means of storing music in digital
Xform recorded from a home stereo system in a specialized archive
Xformat. A user-interface, which looked much like a jukebox as
Xwould be seen in a local diner, allowed the 15 megabyte archive of
Xsongs recorded on a streaming floppy tape system to be retrieved
Xand converted back to audible sound.
X.P
XOf all the voice demonstrations, the answering machine was the
Xmost popular. After seeing almost 75 minutes of demonstrations,
Xthe group decided to break for 10 minutes. During the break, many
Xof the attendees took a moment to experiment with MGR and the
Xvoice demonstrations, and the new-improved USENIX FaceSaver Display
Xprogram.
X.P
XFollowing the break, Mark Dapoz discussed how he re-organized and
Xdesigned the UNIX-pc cabinet improvements for his UNIX-pc. Gil
Xand Lenny also presented their ideas for a tower cabinet, and
XMark reflected on both ideas with some of his design considerations
Xand initial failures, in the hopes that others could learn from
Xhis experience. Mark's design goal was to provide a more workable
Xcabinet for adding additional hardware and modifications, but to
Xleave the option to return the cabinet to its original form if
Xnecessary. He sternly recommended that those planning to add multiple
Xhard disks also add an additional 200 watt supply. He shared a
Xstory of how he overloaded his UNIX-pc supply by attempting to
Xpower two hard drives and several expansion boards at once. He
Xrecommends that the two hard disks be powered by a separate supply,
Xwhile the remainder of the stock UNIX-pc hardware be powered by
Xthe stock supply.
X.P
XA day or two before the BOF, AT&T officially released the long
Xawaited FIXDISK 2.0. Lenny summarized what was included, specifically
Xthe oddities of the "metermaid" and 3-key-functions. He did mention
Xthat he would detail all of the specific changes in a future posting on
XUSENET (which he did). Everyone seemed anxious to receive their copy
Xand try out the new "features" of release 3.51m.
X.P
XNext, Lenny went on to talk about where one could get UNIX-pc Software.
XHe mentioned several archive sites, the ICUS Archives (uucp access)
Xrun by Gil Kloepfer, osu-cis Archives (ftp/uucp access) run by
XBrant Cheikes, and several other ftp-able sites. Although this information
Xis frequently posted to USENET, it was important to discuss. As always
Xthere was a small population of BOF attendees that didn't have USENET access.
X.P
XFinally, Lenny discussed the possibility of creating a UNIX-pc
Xtechnical newsletter, to be distributed for a minimal charge on
Xa monthly or bi-monthly basis. The idea seemed to be accepted
Xby the those attending, however it was preferred overall that the
Xnewsletter be in electronic format. The problems with an electronic
Xformat would be the inability to include illustrations and
Xdiagrams where appropriate, and the prerequisite of receiving the
Xnetwork newsgroup that the newsletter was posted to. Someone mentioned
Xgetting an advertiser or some sponsorship of the newsletter, but the
Xoverall consensus was that it would detract from the newsletter, and make
Xit harder to produce.
X.P
XFollowing the BOF, several individuals met with Gil and Lenny to
Xexchange ideas and software. The after-the-BOF meeting continued in our
Xhotel suite (what Gil and Lenny dubbed the "ICUS Hospitality Suite")
Xuntil about 2AM, at which time everyone felt a need to get some
Xsleep.
X.P
XLast, but certainly not least, special thanks go out to the
XUSENIX association for allowing us to hold the BOF during the
Xconference, Gil Kloepfer & Lenny Tropiano for coordinating the
XBOF and demonstrations, Mark Dapoz for sharing his work he
Xdid with the modified UNIX-pc case, Brad Bosch for providing
Xbeta-copies of his MGR port, Brian Botton for his work
Xon the VIDPAL board which is making porting MGR and X-windows more
Xof a reality, and most of all the BOF attendees, for without you
Xthere would be no reason to do this!
X.P
XIn closing, the BOF seemed to be a success. However, it did seem
Xlike there were too many items to cover. In planning the next
XBOF, it would help if more people provided some input as to topics
Xto be discussed, and a good format for discussing them. We would
Xalso appreciate any feedback you have regarding how the BOF was
Xpresented and how appropriate you felt the demonstrations were
Xto the discussions.
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--
| Lenny Tropiano ICUS Software Systems lenny at icus.islp.ny.us |
| {ames,pacbell,decuac,hombre,sbcs,attctc}!icus!lenny attmail!icus!lenny |
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