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====== Corvus Systems Concept (1982) ======




===== Features =====

* CPU: Motorola 68000 8 MHz.
* RAM: 256 KB expandable to 512 KB
* ROM: 4 KB
* Text Modes: 90 chars x 63 lines (Portrait mode), 117 chars x 47 lines (Landscape mode)
* Graphic Modes: 707 x 479 dots
* Colors: Monochrome
* Sound: Sound generator
* I/O Ports: 2 x RS-232 - 4 x Apple II compatible slots - 1 x RS 422
* Keyboard: Full-stroke 91 keys with 10 function keys and numeric keypad
* OS: CCOS, P-System, Unix, CP/M emulation
* Peripherals: Shared 6 to 40 MB hard-disks, VHS tapes backup



===== Usage =====

Currently, MESS supports up to four floppy drives and one hard drive for concept. They correspond to devices "floppydisk1" (flop1) to "floppydisk4" (flop4) and "harddisk" (hard), respectively.

The driver can boot from a 8" SSSD floppy image (.img format is supported). Start the computer and press "F" when the computer asks for a boot device.

You may invoke the MACSbug debugger as well by pressing the key "D". However, this version of MACSbug requires a terminal to be connected to the serial port to do anything useful, so you are out of luck.

== Keyboard ==

This system requires full keyboard emulation to work correctly. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the "Scroll Lock" key (by default).



===== Known Issues =====

* The keyboard is not emulated fully.
* Hard disks, serial ports, and Omninet are not emulated.
* Only the original floppy controller (8" SSSD disks) is emulated.



===== History and Trivia =====

The Concept was announced in the spring of 1982.

This computer uses a state-of-art (at the time) MC68000 CPU. Its CCOS operating system is a variant of the Merlin operating system by Silicon Valley Software: it is a mono-tasking OS, with source-level compatibility with the UCSD p-system, and vague reminiscences of UNIX.

The Concept has a bitmapped screen, which enables to mix text in any style and size with graphics, and some programs were reportedly WYSIWYG (which was uncommon at the time). The system includes a primitive window manager, but don't delude yourself: it is no GUI. The most original feature is probably the rotatable screen that can be used either in horizontal or vertical position. However you need to reboot the computer after flipping the screen. Another feature of interest is the integrated network support: the Concept can be used
either as a disk-less network computer or as a full-featured personal computer, and you could connect Concepts, Apple IIs and IBM PCs in an heterogeneous Omninet LAN.

Available programs were mostly business applications: word processor, spreadsheet, grapher, database, accounting... Thanks to its large screen, its WYSIWYG capability and to the use of various hierarchical menus, the Concept is relatively user-friendly for a 1982 business computer. There were also Pascal and FORTRAN compilers, a BASIC, a UCSD runtime, an 8080 simulator, a port of the CP/M OS, a version of SPICE to simulate discrete ICs, and even a paint program that could take advantage of a mouse.

The price was about $4000 for a bare 256-kbyte system in 1984 ($1000 for extra 256kbytes, $750 for floppy, from $2000 to $4000 for hard disk according to size).

//(info from old-computers.com)//



===== Links =====

* Corvus Concept at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=653




Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009