Re: DEC Multia OS....any suggestions?
From: RC Bryan (rcbryan_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 01/27/04
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Date: 27 Jan 2004 11:33:21 -0800
I had a Multia years ago. That thing gave new meaning to the word
slow-- and that was like 8 years ago.
My suggestion for what it is worth: If you want to play, that you plan
on using Linux or Tru64. You will be able to get it up and running
and will be able to do some experimentation with a 64 processor. If
you plan on using it seriously, you buy a "real" computer. There are
$100 alpha machines on EBay that will run VMS with the free hobbyist
license. They will also a run supported version of Linux or Tru64
without all the Multia headaches.
Something to keep in mind is that when you have papers or projects to
get out, you don't need to be fiddling with your computer trying to
get it to run long enough to print out the report you typed in
already. A quote I always enjoy: "The knowledge you'll forget but the
grades will last forever."
A bit of history: The Multia was kind of a mistake. DEC was trying to
find new places to use the Alpha processor. I never understood why
the machine I had was so s-l-o-w. If I recall correctly, it was a 150
MHz alpha which should have been capable of something. It seems like
they could not get the native builds for the software ready in time so
they had an 8086 emulator running much of the software. That could
explain a lot. It was also comically short of memory. My company at
the time bought like 24 of them from DEC then promptly discovered they
were for the birds, we sent them all back and bought PCs from Gateway.
The PCs were the absolute bottom of the line at the time and they were
like night and day faster than the Multia. We bought three more in a
separate deal when it looked like we were going that way. They could
not go back. They haunted the company for years afterwards running
X-Windows here and there when we could not get a PC or a proper
X-Terminal. I was going to pick one up when my company was dumping
them but I was not fast enough. It is just as well, I don't need any
more obsolete computers in my basement.
Regards,
/Bob Bryan
Charles Bradbury <cbradbury@uswest.net> wrote in message news:<4001BD69.82E74DF7@uswest.net>...
> I am hoping that someone in here can help me with a couple questions I
> have. I acquired a DEC Multia some time ago and have yet to put it to
> use. I am a full time student going into computer science and wanted to
> play around with the 64 bit architecture. After milling over what OS to
> use I started finding more options. I have a version of NT 4.0, but I
> want to avoid that if all possible. I know there are versions of Linux
> out there as well as FreeBSD. Tru64 (Digital Unix) would be nice, but
> it's not freely available. Does anyone know if OpenVMS would work on
> this workstation? Also, is OpenVMS freely available like Linux is? Are
> there any suggestions as to what would be a good OS to use for
> programming, etc. that would pose as a good platform for CS experiments
> and study? Thanks in advance!
>
> Charles Bradbury
> Computer Science/Systems Engineering
> Arizona State University
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