From: mike@array.com (Mike Willett)
Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent
Subject: General Information, Coherent FAQ Rev 2.0
Keywords: General FAQ Rev 2.0
Date: 12 Oct 92 18:19:14 GMT
Organization: Array Microsystems, Colorado Springs, CO. USA





  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. 2.0


                             C O N T E N T S :

           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

               What is Coherent?
               Will Coherent run on my system?
               What incompatibilities are known?
               Does Coherent support SCSI drives?
               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:

                     K E E P E R S  O F  T H E  F A Q:
                 Mike Willett            mike@array.com,
              Joachim Riedel          jr@connie.de.convex.com

            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 exhibit this problem.

DOES COHERENT SUPPORT SCSI DRIVES:
    Coherent3.2 release now supports the following SCSI drive controllers:
    Adaptec AHA-1540 a/b controllers,
    Seagate ST01 and 02 controllers,
    Future Domain 8 bit controllers, and
    Smart Connex SCSI controller

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.

    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 piggy and orca. If the interest is overwhelming,
    a posting to this news group may be in order, along with posting to  an
    archive site such as piggy and orca. Posting to this newsgroup has been
    a topic of constant debate...  :( We hope to soon 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, 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 (a little flakey at present
        :-( ) 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: I 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.   Any  reference
    to  this  article  is  done  purely  AT YOUR OWN RISK!  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.
























































-- 
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mike@array.com              So much fun, so little time to enjoy it....
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