Data General Eclipse: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|16 bit minicomputer line (1974–1988)}}

[[Image:Dg-eclipse.jpg|thumb|288px|right|Data General Eclipse S/130 front panel]]

{{Refimprove|date=January 2017}}

The '''Data General Eclipse''' line of computers by [[Data General]] were [[16-bit]] [[minicomputer]]s released in early [[1974]] and sold until 1988. The Eclipse was based on many of the same concepts as the [[Data General Nova]], but included support for [[virtual memory]] and [[multitasking]] more suitable to the small office than the lab. It was also packaged differently for this reason, in a floor-standing case the size of a small fridge.

{{Infobox computing device

If the Nova was an improved [[PDP-8]], the Eclipse was meant to compete against larger

| name = Eclipse

[[PDP-11]] computers. However, it kept the simple register architecture, and the stack

| codename =

was kept in a special memory address ___location, as it was on the later 32 bit [[MV/8000]].

| aka =

The [[AOS (operating system)|AOS]] operating system was quite sophisticated, and far advanced for the PDP-11

| logo = Data General logo.svg

offering, with [[Access control list|ACL]] access control lists. It was largely retained unchanged for the MV/8000 which could natively run Eclipse binary code, while the [[VAX]] used a rewritten operating system.

| image = Dg-eclipse.jpg

| caption = Data General Eclipse S/130 front panel

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| manufacturer = Data General

| family = Nova

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| os = [[Data General AOS|AOS]]

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[[Image:Dg-eclipseEclipse microprocessor.jpgpng|thumb|288px|right|Data General Eclipse S/130 frontmicroEclipse panelmicroprocessor]]

Production problems with the Eclipse led to a rash of lawsuits in the late [[1970s]], after new versions of the machine were pre-ordered by many DG customers, and then never arrived. After over a year of waiting many decided to sue the company, while others simply cancelled their orders and went elsewhere. It appeared that the Eclipse was originally intended to replace the Nova outright, also evidenced by the fact that the Nova 3 series released at the same time was phased out the next year. However, strong continuing demand resulted in the Nova 4, perhaps as a result of the continuing problems with the Eclipse.

The '''Data General Eclipse''' line of computers[[computer]]s by [[Data General]] were [[16-bit]] [[minicomputer]]s released in early [[1974]] and sold until 1988. The Eclipse was based on many of the same concepts as the [[Data General Nova]], but included support for [[virtual memory]] and [[Computer multitasking|multitasking]] more suitable to the small office than the lab. It was also packaged differently for this reason, in a floor-standing case the size of a small fridge[[refrigerator]]. The Eclipse series was supplanted by the 32-bit [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]] in 1980.

==Description==

The 16-bit Eclipse series was replaced by the 32-bit [[Eclipse MV/8000]] in [[1980]].

The [[Data General Nova]] was intended to outperform the [[PDP-8]] while being less expensive, and in a similar fashion, the Eclipse was meant to compete against the larger [[PDP-11]] computers. It kept the simple register architecture of the Nova but added a [[stack pointer]] which the Nova lacked. The stack pointer was added back to the later Nova 3 machines in 1975 and also used on the later 32-bit [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]]. The [[Data General AOS|AOS]] [[operating system]] was quite sophisticated, advanced compared to the PDP-11 offerings, with [[access control list]]s (ACLs) for file protection.

Production problems with the Eclipse led to a rash of lawsuits in the late [[1970s]], after new versions of the machine were pre-ordered by many DG customers, and then never arrived.<ref name="kidder-2000">{{cite book |title=The Soul of a New Machine |last=Kidder |first=Tracy |author-link=Tracy Kidder |year=2000 |orig-year=1981 |chapter=1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/soulofnewmachin000kidd/page/26 26] |publisher=[[Back Bay Books]] |isbn=0-316-49197-7 |title-link=The Soul of a New Machine}}</ref> After over a year of waiting, manysome decided to sue the company, while others simply cancelled their orders and went elsewhere.<ref name="kidder-2000"/> It appeared that the Eclipse was originally intended to replace the Nova outright, also evidenced by the fact that the Nova 3 series released at the same time was phased out the next year. However, strong continuing demand resulted in the Nova 4, perhaps as a result of the continuing problems with the Eclipse.

The Eclipse may have been named by James Gossel, a high school student at the time, whose father worked at DG and asked him for the name suggestion. {{fact}}

== Facts ==

In 1981, a popular book appeared that storylined the development of the MV/8000 and the stress involved: [[The Soul of a New Machine]]

The original [[Cray-1]] system used an Eclipse to act as a Maintenance and Control Unit (MCU). It was configured with two [[Ampex]] CRTs, an 80 MB Ampex disk drive, a thermal printer, and a 9-track tape drive. Its primary purpose was to download an image of either the [[Cray Operating System]] or customer engineering diagnostics at boot time. Once booted, it acted as a status and control console via RDOS ''station software''.

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{Data General}}

[[Category:Minicomputers]]

[[Category:Data General computers|Eclipse]]

[[Category:16-bit computers]]

{{mini-compu-stub}}

[[ja:Eclipse (コンピュータ)]]