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Aucbvax.2112 fa.works utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!works@mit-ai Sun Jul 5 08:40:37 1981 Re: Ethernet capabilities of 820 and STAR >From guyton@RAND-UNIX Sun Jul 5 08:31:49 1981 I worked for a couple of years for Xerox on the Star product and after this slanderous message I will no doubt never be welcomed back. However I can't resist trying to shed a little light on the confusing state of the Xerox office automation product line.

The key to getting through the Xerox propaganda is to realize that there is NOT one, but TWO office automation product lines which have been forcefully "merged." These lines were developed by two competing groups and don't really have much in common.

The two competing groups are now both under the common banner of the "Office Products Divison" of Xerox, and are attempting to cooperate. But until a year or two back . . . well, I'll be polite and just say that they were very serious competitors.

The older group is out of Dallas, Texas. The new group is split between Palo Alto and El Segundo (both in California). Here is a short table summarizing what I think are their main differences:

"SDD" "OPD" +-------------------------+-------------------------+ Location | California | Texas | +-------------------------+-------------------------+ Programming | MESA | Assembler | Environment | | | +-------------------------+-------------------------+ Processor | Custom Bit-Slice | Standard u-processors | +-------------------------+-------------------------+ Background | PARC/Research | Electronic Typewriters | +-------------------------+-------------------------+ Product Lines | Star | 820 | (Partial list | File Server | 850 | due to failing | Communication Server| 860 | memory) | Ethernet | | | Laser printers | | +-------------------------+-------------------------+

The two product lines evolved and were designed seperately. When both groups were merged into the "Office Products Division" it was decided (wisely I believe) to merge the product lines as much as possible. So the Dallas products are all going to be on the Ethernet, and everything will talk with everything else. It is a worthy goal, but as you might imagine, there are a few rough spots in trying to do it.

I hear that the Xerox sales force is claiming that they have an integrated product line for office automation. Low cost 820's up to the Star. Ah . . . I don't think I can agree with that. I believe they are undermining their credability when they try to convince people of this.

As for the confusion arising from the ignorance of the Xerox sales force . . . they are all out of Dallas and the Star stuff is brand new to them. When I'm not upset about the propaganda I'm actually kinda pleased to see that they've done as good a job as they have.

Jim

P.S. Randy -- to answer your specific message, the products in column one all have the Ethernet designed and built in from the start. The products in column two have had the Ethernet added with chewing gum and bailing wire (if at all). -----

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