Data General Eclipse: Difference between revisions

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

{{Unreferenced|date=July 2010}}

{{Refimprove|date=January 2017}}

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

[[Image:Eclipse microprocessor.png|thumb|288px|right|Data General microEclipse microprocessor]]

The '''Data General Eclipse''' line of [[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 [[refrigerator]].

{{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

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

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The [[Data General AOS|AOS]] [[operating system]] was quite sophisticated, and far advanced compared to the PDP-11 offerings, with [[access control list]]s (ACLs) for file protection. One of the key goals for the 32-bit MV was to be able to run 16-bit applications without modification, and the AOS/VS 32-bit operating system would indeed run 16-bit AOS binaries. (By contrast, although the [[VAX-11]] could run [[PDP-11]] code in a compatibility mode, the MV/8000 did not require a "mode bit.")

| logo = Data General logo.svg

| 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.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} 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 [[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 [[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 [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]] in 1980. The development of this machine was described by [[Tracy Kidder]] in his book ''[[The Soul of a New Machine]]''. <!-- same comment - this second sentence belongs in the MV/8000 article, no? -->

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">{{citationcite book needed|datetitle=MayThe 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 2012Machine}}</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. {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

== Facts ==

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 mbMB [[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 would actacted as a status and control console via RDOS ''station software''.

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{Data General}}

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 would act as a status and control console via RDOS ''station software''.

[[Category:Minicomputers]]

[[Category:Data General computers|Eclipse]]

[[Category:16-bit computers]]