SAGE Computer Technology - SAGE IV

SAGE IV

Released in 1983. Hardware:

• Board0: CPU: MC68000 @ 8 MHz, 2× serial RS-232 ports 19.2 kbit/s, Parallel input/output (PIO) for printers, GPIB, Floppy disc controller, 512 KByte DRAM. Same as in SAGE II.
• Board1: 4× serial RS-232 ports 19.2 kbit/s, Hard disk controller, 512 KByte DRAM.
• Memory consist of 64 Kbit 150 ns memory modules. Parity error protected setup.
• Minimum system memory is 256 KByte.
• Storage: 1× 5¼" 800 KByte F.D. drive. 1× 5 - 40 MByte Winchester harddisk.
• Built-in multi-user BIOS.

• Introduced in November 1982
• Price: 3600 USD (for the single-floppy entry-level configuration)

Managed multitasking with 6 serial ports in real time with 1 MByte of RAM in 1983. Used by scientists and engineers for more than ten years when it was popular. "running over 10 years with zero admin, and maybe even zero reboot." "13 times faster than the Apple II" (when introduced).

Sage IV were used for the development of the Amiga prototype computer system "Lorraine". The Sage system got the nickname "Agony".

Access was through a 80 × 25 serial video terminals. Graphics capability was possible with the addition of a 3rd-party colour graphics system from Robinson Systems which plugged directly into the Sage 68000 bus and provided output compatible with a range of colour monitors (e.g. Cotron Sword, Electrohome 1301).

The included operating system was the UCSD p-System. Many other operating systems were available including CP/M-68K, Idris, PDOS, HyperFORTH Plus, BOS, TRIPOS, Mirage, and MOSYS. Programming languages available included Pascal, Modula-2, C, FORTRAN77, BASIC, 68000 macro assembler, APL, LISP and Forth.

The MC68000 CPU were introduced in 1979 by Motorola.