SunRiver Corp, of Jackson, Missouri created quite a stir at Comdex/Fall last year by taking a new approach to high speed bit mapped graphics on multi-user systems, using fibre-optic links to provide full graphics capabilities on its own remote Cygma terminals connected to a 80386-based host micro (CI No 870). This was achieved through the high data transfer rate of 32Mbits per-second on the fibre optic links, and device driver support from Interactive Systems Corp, Microport Inc and the Santa Cruz Operation’s Unix implementations. Now the company has extended the concept further by allowing existing MS-DOS micros to be connected to a fibre-optic system. PC LightCard is a full size board that fits into any available 8- or 16-bit slot, and allows users to run MS-DOS applications on the micro and hot-key into a nulti-user mode to run Unix or multi-user MS-DOS applications running on the host. The board’s file transfer applications also support high speed file exchange betwen the host and remote micros. Up to four Cygma stations or personal computers can be attached to each host adaptor on the host 80386 machine. The LightCard is currently supported on SCO Xenix System V, and standard device drivers are under development for Concurrent DOS from Digital Research, Virtual Systems’ Quick Connect and Interactive Systems 386/ix. The LightCard costs $899, with $799 for each four-user host adaptor: full availability next month. And SunRiver has also introduced a new VGA+ version of its Cygma station with 800 by 600 resolution and 16 colours, which it hopes will take it into the CAD/CAM/CAE and desktop publishing markets. Cost is $2,500 and availability is January 1989.
SUNRIVER BOARD CONVERTS MS-DOS MICROS INTO FIBRE-OPTIC WORKSTATIONS
