Corvus Concept workstation
OFFICE-3@sri-unix
>From a recent issue of Information Systems News newspaper:
CORVUS UNVEILS PERSONAL OFFICE COMPUTER ENTRY
Corvus Systems Inc., a supplier of microcomputer networks and
peripherals, has moved into the personal office computer market with a
Motorola 68000-based system priced at $4,995 in single quantities.
Called the Corvus Concept, the unit can serve either as a standalone
personal computer when configured with a dedicated printer and
peripherals, or as a network workstation on Corvus's Omninet local
area network.
Omninet, a twisted-pair local network using the CSMA/CD access method,
operates at 1-Mbit per second and permits up to 64 Concept
workstations to be hooked together in a network up to 4,000 feet long.
Corvus, headquartered in San Jose, said the Concept is aimed at both
Fortune 1,000 corporations and medium-sized businesses with
distributed data processing and office automation needs. It also
expects the Concept to find applications in academic and scientific
environments.
Concept's $4,995 single-unit price includes the 32/16-bit Motorola
68000 microprocessor with 256K bytes of RAM, made up of 64K-dynamic
RAM chips. Main memory is expandable up to 512K bytes.
Concept also has a 15-inch, high-resolution, bit-mapped display
screen. It can be viewed in either the portrait (vertical) or
landscape (horizontal) position with either black characters on a
white background or white characters on a black background, at the
user's option.
In the portrait position, it displays a full 72 lines by 90
characters, while in the landscape position it displays 56 lines by
120 characters.
A detached IBM Selectric-style keyboard that includes a 10-key numeric
pad and 10 programmable function keys is also standard on the Concept.
The programmable function keys can control up to 40 functions at each
command level, with function names displayed in a window at the bottom
of the screen.
Peripherals such as printers and modems can be attached to the
Concept's four 50-pin card sockets, located in an access pull-out
drawer. Two RS-232-C connectors are also included, as is a built-in
calendar clock with six-month battery back-up.
Standard software includes the Concept's operating system, which
supports the ability to "window" or divide the screen for several
functions at once, Corvus said.
Also included is Corvus's proprietary word-processing package, called
Edword. Edword is said to offer a complete range of menu-driven word-
processing features, including templates, multiple cut and paste, and
various insertion and deletion capabilities.
It also features what Corvus said is a unique undo/redo capability
that allows a user to view all changes made in a file by moving
backwards and forwards.
During a special six-month introductory offer, included in the
Concept's base price will be the Corvus LogiCalc electronic spread-
sheet program, licensed from Software Products International Inc., San
Diego, and a CP/M-80 emulator package from Digital Research Inc.,
Pacific Grove, Calif.
After that time, LogiCalc and the CP/M emulator, which gives users
access to the over 2,000 applications programs written under that
operating system, will be priced at $250 and $295, respectively.
Concept languages include ISO Pascal with UCSD extensions, and full
Fortran-77. These are standard in the Concept price. Basic and Cobol
packages are also planned.
[Sounds great...Dig that rotating screen! The accompanying photo
shows a nice-looking white (or light-colored,anyway) unit with a
separate keyboard attached by a curly-cord. The screen appears not
only to rotate vertically/horizontally, but also to swivel on it's
base; can't tell from the photo whether it also tilts or not. -RWZ]
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