Golden, Colorado-based System Six Inc, the company that went to Russia for its answer to Unix, says it is now shipping its Unix System V.4.2-compatible microkernel for Intel Corp hardware architectures. The firm says Usix will run off-the-shelf applications without modification or recompilation as long as they do not require kernel-linked device drivers. It supports symmetric multiprocessing, complies with the System V Interface Definition and IEEE p1003.4, 1003.6, 1003.7 and 1003.0 Posix standards, runs in under 2Mb memory and is suitable for real-time applications. As expected, the system supports AT, EISA, C-bus and Multibus configurations and a RISC version is expected within six months. System Six says the kernel itself requires only 200Kb to 300Kb of main memory and that a basic system can be installed from one disk. A single-processor, two-user system is from $375, a uniprocessor multi-user system starts at $800. The multiprocessing system is $2,400 for an unlimited number of CPUs. TCP/IP costs $75, X Window $150, Network File System is $250, DOSix Windows and MS-DOS applications translators are $100. The development system is free, although reproduction rights cost $50. Usix was developed by engineers in Moscow at INEUM, Russia’s agency for computer technology development below the mainframe. System Six has 55 staff.
