From: wizard@teal.csn.org (Michael Willett)
Subject: FAQ, General Info for Coherent
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 15:59:26 GMT




   A N  I N T R O D U C T I O N  T O  T H E  C O H E R E N T  F O R U M :

       Comp.os.coherent (Usenet) / Coherent list on ListServ@IndyCMS
                                  Rev. 2.2


             A N  I N T R O D U C T I O N  T O  C O H E R E N T

         General Information FAQ for the Coherent Operating System

                             C O N T E N T S :


               What is Coherent?
               Will Coherent run on my system?
               What incompatibilities are known?
               Can I still run DOS?
               What about technical support?
               What revision is Coherent?
               How many people run Coherent?
               Can source postings be made in this newsgroup (comp.os.coherent)?
               Public domain software:
               Where do I get the public domain software?
               Heated discussions of the group:

               MISC:
               Disclaimer:
               Trademarks:


             A N  I N T R O D U C T I O N  T O  C O H E R E N T
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT IS COHERENT?
    Coherent is a multi-tasking, multi-user operating system for IBM PC's
    and  compatibles.  It will run on most systems with a 286, 386, or 486
    CPU.  Coherent closely represents the Unix operating system, but, it is
    not Unix.  Coherent appears to be very similar to Version 7 Unix, or
    for those of you that have not had the pleasure, close to System 5
    Unix. Coherent includes uucp (Coherent to Coherent Copy) :) and many
    more functions you would  expect with Unix. Coherent is small and
    simple, easy to maintain, and does not require extensive CPU resources
    to operate well. It does not have network  nor X windows support, and
    does not require an AT&T license for Unix. It  is as advertised, a
    quick, elegant Unix-like multi-tasking, multi-user Operating System,
    with good documentation.

WILL COHERENT RUN ON MY SYSTEM?
    Coherent runs on just about all 286-386-486 systems.  To list them here
    would make this document far too lengthy.  It is suggested that if you
    are in doubt, buy Coherent, and when it is almost beyond a doubt that
    you can  not run Coherent on your machine, to return the software and
    documentation to the the Mark Williams Company within 60 days for a
    full refund as per  their policy.

WHAT INCOMPATIBILITIES ARE KNOWN?
    IBM XT compatibles will not work, since the Coherent version 3.2
    operating  system uses the 286 protected mode.  Coherent version 4.0
    only works on 386 or 486 proccessors and operates in the 386 protected
    mode.

    Coherent will not run on an AT&T 6300, IBM PS/2 model, or with the
    Western Digital WD1004-27X (XT) or other XT controllers.  Coherent
    exhibits a slight problem with some 386 AMI  BIOS, whereas Coherent
    requires a cold boot (hit the reset switch, not CTL- ALT-DEL) to boot
    Coherent after previously running DOS. The latest revisions of the AMI
    BIOS may not exibit this problem.

CAN I STILL RUN DOS?
    Yes, Coherent can reside on a disk partition separate from DOS, and
    likewise DOS on a partition separate from Coherent.  You can boot
    either one at boot  time via a "boot strap" program.  They will not run
    concurrently however. DOS file systems are available to Coherent with
    the Coherent DOS command, so files can be transferred from DOS to
    Coherent, Coherent to DOS.

WHAT ABOUT TECHNICAL SUPPORT?
    It is generally felt that Mark Williams Company provides excellent
    technical support of their software within the U.S.A..  They can be
    reached via phone (708) 291-6700, or email:

    uunet!mwc!support       (General uucp address)
    support@mwc.com         (Internet address)
    mwcbbs!support           (from your system directly to the uucp connection
                             they provided by the Mark Williams Company)

WHAT REVISION IS COHERENT?
    Coherent is offered in two revisions.  Revision 3.2 will run on systems
    with a 286 or higher processor, but does not take advantage of the 386
    architecture, and has the 64K executable and 64K data limits.  Revision
    3.2 is the last revision of Coherent for the 286 protected mode OS. Bug
    fixes will continue to be posted to mwcbbs to support customers of the
    3.2 version.

    COHERENT 4.0 was announced in May of 1992, and is targeted for the 386
    and 486 processors.  This revision does not have the 64K limits of
    revision 3.2, but, still does not include a virtual  memory system that
    swaps pages out to disk. See the 4.0 specific FAQ posted with this FAQ
    for more information.

    Both versions of OS are available at $99.00, and updates from 3.2 to
    4.0 are now priced at $79.00.

HOW MANY PEOPLE RUN COHERENT?
    The Mark Williams Company has stated that the sales volume has passed
    40,000 copies since its introduction to the market in 1990.

CAN POSTINGS BE MADE IN THIS NEWS GROUP (COMP.OS.COHERENT)?
    It is somewhat accepted that source for Coherent will be posted in this
    news group occasionally.  Keep in mind that large postings cost money
    to those that pay for telephone and connect time, so perhaps a short
    posting to query general interest should precede the posting. Direct
    mailing should be used if there is small interest, and a posting to
    archive sites such as raven.alaska.edu. If the  interest is
    overwhelming, a posting to this news group may be in order, along with
    posting to an archive site such as raven.alaska.edu. Posting to this
    newsgroup has been a topic of constant debate...  :( We hope to have a
    source news group for coherent, yet another topic of debate...  :)

PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE:
    Several public domain packages are available for use on a Coherent
    machine.  These range from improved mailing packages and spread sheets,
    to at least four news programs, such as bsnews, cnews, gnews, wnews,
    along with readers such as rn, tass, tin and more.

WHERE DO I GET THE PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE?
    There are several ways to get public domain software:

    1. Mark Williams Company bbs (mwcbbs)
    2. FTP sites
    3. Mailserver (ListServ@IndyCMS)
    4. The OZ / NZ Coherent Users Group
    5. The Pacific Australian Coherent Users Group

    MWCbbs (mwcbbs)
    Access information on the mwcbbs is included in the documentation
    provided  with Coherent.  In short, it is a uucp site with public
    domain software as  well as updates to the Coherent release, along with
    Coherent news (not usenet) and a "home" for all Coherent sites to uucp
    to. For most of us, that is a  long distance phone call, as the Mark
    Williams Company is located in Illinois.

    FTP sites:
    Jay C. Beavers has been keeping the Coherent Archives for quite some
    time on the ftp site orca.alaska.edu, and has moved these to an Ultrix
    machine for better access (raven).  When a previous ftp site was no
    longer available,  Jay quickly put raven into action.  Hats off to Jay!

    Machine            I'net Address          Archive administrator
    ---------------    -------------     ----------------------------------
    raven.alaska.edu   137.229.10.39     J.C. Beavers:sxjcb@orca.alaska.edu

            on raven: cd /pub/coherent

    MailServers:
    ListServ@IndyCMS has been offering a mailserver service since before
    the start of comp.os.coherent. It is a gateway between two nets:

    Machine Address                         Mailserver Administrator
    ------------------------------------    ------------------------
    ListServ@IndyCMS (CREN)                 IJBH200@IndyVAX (CREN)
    ListServ@IndyCMS.IUPUI.Edu (Internet)   IJBH200@IndyVAX.IUPUI.Edu (I)

    Coherent@IndyCMS is bidirectional gateway between the ListServ list
    Coherent and Usenet newsgroup comp.os.coherent co-owned and coordinated
    by John Harlan and Phil Corporon.  All original postings to
    comp.os.coherent Usenet group are automatically distributed to the
    ListServ list, and everything posted to the ListServ list Coherent, is
    automatically posted to comp.os.coherent on Usenet.  John Harlan
    humorously adds: "And all without mail looping :-)"

    To get a list of Coherent files from ListServ, mail the ListServ
    mailserver as follows, with the contents of the message being the
    mailserver command:

                    % mail ListServ@IndyCMS.IUPUI.Edu
                    Subject: (none)

                    INDEX COHERENT

    Privately Owned BBSs:

        The Australian Coherent Users Group:
        (From: rjl@spectre.pub.uu.oz.au.)
        In order to support Coherent users in oz & nz, Mark Williams Co.
        have agreed to supply a mirror of the downloads directory from
        their uucp BBS in the states for distribution here [in Australia].
        This is being supplied to the  Australian Coherent User Group,
        initially in one 13MB chunk to get things  kicked off, then
        subsequently updated on a monthly basis.

        Software is available to all registered Coherent users, and may be
        obtained either by direct UUCP transfer from this  machine, or on
        1.2MB floppies for a nominal media/postage charge.

        Anyone interested in this, or in ACUG in general, (as well as in
        APANA - the Australian Public Access Network Association) may
        contact me by email at  rjl@spectre.pub.uu.oz.au.

        Australia-Pacific Coherent User Group.
        (Robert Chalmers. d10590@tanus.cec.edu.au. Mackay, Queensland. Australia)
        ---------------------* ao zhong youyi wan sui *----------------------
        Privately operated public uucp site, based in Mackay, North
        Queensland,  Australia.  The system connected 24 hours a 7 days a
        week, apart from some down time for maintenance.  Purely Coherent
        system.  Technical: Clone 286-20. 2Mb RAM. 40Mb IDE HDD. 1 x 1.2, 1
        x 1.44 FDD.  Maestro 2400ZXR Modem. Wangtek Tape Drive.(not yet
        working). Star printer.

        Support: Robert can pass on internet fixes and messages to local
        users, such as this FAQ, and hope to be able to pass on via uucp
        the  software lists from MWC. Acting as a support site for users
        anywhere.

        Contact details:  (There are no fees or subscriptions involved.)
            APCUG nanguo!root   (AUS)               UUCP mwcbbs!nanguo!earth  (USA)
            UUCP nanguo!root  +61 079-521070 AEST:24 Hours. in:nuucp rd:uupublic
            MYNAME=bbsuser  Australia-Pacific Coherent User Group.  Info ~/INFO

            Currently the site supports uucp using a chat script exactly
            the same as the mwcbbs chat script listed in their manual.
            The public directory is really /u/usr/spool/uucppublic. Note
            the /u..... The default directory is still available for in-
            coming material and the INFO file, which contains most of the
            details concerning me and the site.

            Direct login is also available using the following login and
            passwd. login: public passwd: coherent

            This is a public user area, mostly used by my students locally,
            but you are welcome to log in and leave mail. (mail root).
            Modem details are: 2400 N81. (v22bis). Please note that you
            MUST have MYNAME=bbsuser in the Permissions file for site
            nanguo, otherwise Coherent will return a site unknown error.
            Even if you only uucp mail to me, mail nanguo!root, all are
            welcome to use these facilities for the exchange of information.
                                                            Bob Chalmers.

HEATED DISCUSSIONS OF THE GROUP:
    Mark Williams Company has a patent on bit ordering, which is a software
    patent.  Most think that this is obvious art in software, and should
    not be patentable, not to mention a move in the software world (i.e.,
    FSF) that  "software" should not be patentable in the first place.  The
    Mark Williams Company has committed to comment on this some time in the
    future.

DISCLAIMER:
    ANY REFERENCE TO THIS ARTICLE, IN ANY FORM, IS PURELY AT YOUR OWN RISK!
    All opinions, tips, and instructions in this article are those of the
    contributors, and not of any company associated with the individual
    contributor, or any company mentioned in this article.  The information
    contained within is not guaranteed to be free of errors  in any way.

    The intention of this note is only to inform curious usenet readers
    about some aspects of the operating system of Coherent, and those
    companies mentioned are encouraged to add corrections, additions, or
    suggest deletions to this note to as per their policy or willingness to
    provide positive criticism.

TRADEMARKS
    Unix is the trademark of AT&T / Unix System Laboratories, Inc.
    Coherent is the trademark of the Mark Williams Company.


































































-- 
Michael Willett, mike@array.com    uupsi!monarch!mike   uunet!csn!monarch!mike
                So much fun, so little time to enjoy it...