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| 24 JAN 2003 at 4:47pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | No fair MichalN - only 1 question per post...
The PS/2 model 25 was announced in April 1987 if I'm not mistaken. I don't recall the OS (but believe it shipped either DOS 3.x and or Windows 2.x). I've never heard the model 25 and 30 weren't considered true PS/2's (weren't these shipped with the 8086 chip?? Maybe that's why??). They called their Hard Drives Mass Storage Devices... ABIOS is the Advanced BIOS. I don't recall a laptop model...
I own a PS/2 Model 80...
Way too much trivia in a single post - I'm gonna go look up the one I've left out. Good post.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 4:57pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Ahhh - I see... The weren't considered "real" because they lacked MCA and VGA. Sharing data was difficult because 3.25 floppies weren't available on other PC's...
I'll keep perusing for more info...
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 6:39pm |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | What we have so far:
1. The entire PS/2 line was indeed announced in April 1987.
3. Models 25 and 30 used ISA and not MCA, hence they weren't
considered "true" PS/2s.
7. PS/2 machines had only 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drives when everything else usually had 5.25" drives or at best 720K 3.5" drives. Can you believe that no better standard for R/W removable media has been established in over 15 years!?
8. ABIOS indeed stands for Advanced BIOS, but what makes it different from CBIOS (Compatibility BIOS)?
9. That's not the IBM-ish term I know... it's a four-letter acronym (kinda similar to what you said).
I forgot my sig.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 6:44pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | You're looking for DASD (Direct Access Storage Device) aren't you.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 6:45pm |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (24 JAN 2003 6:44pm)
You're looking for DASD (Direct Access Storage Device) aren't you.
Yes So that's #9.
I forgot my sig.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 6:49pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Ohhh - i have been doing some brushing up on my old hardware...
The OS reportedly designed fot the PS/2 was OS/2 - unfortunately the OS was released a year or 2 after the hardware (I think IBM was funning us...)
Compaq was 1 company producing compatables.
I think the graphics chip you're referring to is VGA, there was an earlier model with MCGA (as I recall).
Still looking for POS and LAPTOP
Oops - forgot ABIOS... I think your after the fact that it allows protected mode instructions.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 9:35pm |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (24 JAN 2003 6:49pm)
Ohhh - i have been doing some brushing up on my old hardware...
Alright! So now we've added this:
2. The OS "designed" for PS/2 was OS/2, but it ran quite well on AT compatibles. It was announced together with PS/2 in April 1987, released in late 1987 with GUI added in late 1988. So the companies that worked on OS/2 were obviously IBM and Microsoft.
5. Right, Compaq did PS/2 compatibles, so did NCR and probably a few others.
6. The "real" PS/2s (MCA based, 286s and 386s) had VGA, the "lite" Models 25 and 30 had MCGA which was a cross between CGA and VGA. MCGA and VGA came out at the same time though.
8. ABIOS supported protected mode operation; on PS/2 machines, OS/2 calls ABIOS instead of having HW specific drivers for certain devices.
I forgot my sig.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 10:35pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | I'll call U N C L E on the POS thing - Lets see if anyone else knows - I know POS as something I worked on in the 80's (in the banking industry) - but, surely that can't be it...
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 10:50pm |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (24 JAN 2003 10:35pm)
I'll call U N C L E on the POS thing - Lets see if anyone else knows - I know POS as something I worked on in the 80's (in the banking industry) - but, surely that can't be it...
Point Of Sale? No, that's not what I mean...
I forgot my sig.
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 10:54pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Point Of Sale? No, that's not what I mean...
That would be my POS... You didn't leave the "T" off that did you? As in POS T? Or referring to POSIX ?
I'm stumped on this one... let's wait and see....
By the way - I did find the Lap Top... And as odd as it may seem... I actually used one of these things... (all of 1 time)... Hated the damn thing...
It was a: PS/2 L40SX
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| 24 JAN 2003 at 11:54pm |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (24 JAN 2003 10:54pm)
That would be my POS... You didn't leave the "T" off that did you? As in POS T? Or referring to POSIX ?
Nope. It's just POS, and what POS essentially did is nowadays called PnP.
It was a: PS/2 L40SX
Excellent! Yes, that was one of them. The first ThinkPad laptops, the 700/720 series, were in fact PS/2 systems too! I have an old 720C, with 640x480 color TFT screen. I believe it was one of the first TFT systems on the market (1993).
I forgot my sig.
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| 25 JAN 2003 at 12:18am |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Nope. It's just POS, and what POS essentially did is nowadays called PnP.
I'll byte (so to speak - hehehe) - I've never heard this... I was under the impression that it was MCA that provided PnP like device technology...
Point me to a URL my man - I feel the need... The need to read!
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| 25 JAN 2003 at 12:27am |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (25 JAN 2003 12:18am)
I'll byte (so to speak - hehehe) - I've never heard this... I was under the impression that it was MCA that provided PnP like device technology...
I believe POS was part of the MCA spec, yes.
Point me to a URL my man - I feel the need... The need to read!
Try this one.
I forgot my sig.
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| 25 JAN 2003 at 12:33am |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | You are too good MichalN... I did find a referrence to the POS registers, but never put 2 & 2 together...
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| 25 JAN 2003 at 12:37am |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (25 JAN 2003 12:32am)
You are too good MichalN...
Nah, all those questions were just off the top of my head... although admittedly my PS/2 knowledge is slightly above average. So the answer is:
4. POS stood for Programmable Option Select, a mechanism to implement PnP-like functionality in MCA systems.
That was the last answer!
I forgot my sig.
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| 26 JAN 2003 at 8:59am |
resonateIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 51
Joined: 18 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By MichalN (24 JAN 2003 5:44am)
And a bonus question - how many PS/2 or compatibles do you own? Have you worked with any?
I used a PS/2 model 30 for a while. It's long gone now, but I'm still using the keyboard from it today.
This week, I have been mostly playing
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| 26 JAN 2003 at 7:34pm |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By resonate (26 JAN 2003 8:59am)
I used a PS/2 model 30 for a while. It's long gone now, but I'm still using the keyboard from it today.
Is that Model M? That's what I'm using... love those keyboards.
I forgot my sig.
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