A Bridge from Full-Function to Reduced-Function Workstations

This article describes a system that allows a reduced-function workstation, an Apple Macintosh, to perform as a low-end node in an Apollo Domain workstation network. Programs that run in the Apollo environment do not have to be modified to be accessed from the Macintosh; the appropriate system subroutines are intercepted and recast into a suitable form. Each Apollo workstation can support from two to three Macintosh PCs, making the average cost per console as little as $5000. A similar project is underway for the IBM PC family of computers.