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A/UX Follies

Technical Support Coordinator, BAKA Computers Inc.

Excited by the chance to have a Unix box with a CD-ROM drive built in? Well, hold your horses… the Macintosh IIvx isn’t the answer. Even though Apple’s Oct-92 Macintosh Compatibility Chart indicates that A/UX 3.0 (Apple’s current version of its Unix operating system) will run on the IIvx, subsequent word is that this was incorrect.

The reason the IIvx will not support A/UX 3.0 is not clear; perhaps A/UX 3.0 is not yet System 7.1 compatible, and a 7.1-compatible version was delayed. (If we are simply awaiting a 7.1-compatible A/UX, it would explain why Apple anticipated A/UX running on the IIvx.)

Apple has been quick to point out that A/UX 3.0 is indeed compatible with the rest of the members of the Macintosh II family (the original Macintosh II requires the addition of a Motorola 68851 PMMU memory management chip), as well as the entire Quadra line and the venerable SE/30. Certainly the faster the machine, and the more real memory you have, the happier you’ll be with A/UX’s performance.

A/UX is available as a separate add-on product for any Macintosh you already happen to have, and it’s also available as a bundle with the IIsi, IIci, and Quadra 700, 900, and 950. If you still have your heart set on a Unix machine with an internal CD-ROM drive, the Quadra 900 or 950 may be a good choice; Apple’s CD 300i internal CD-ROM drive should soon be available with a Quadra faceplate for insertion into the Quadra’s spacious drive bay, and a variety of third-party vendors offer Quadra-ready internal storage products as well.

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