CompuServe Messages

"Micro Station Technology" I'm afraid that I don't know a thing about them. The price sounds reasonable though. You might want to give them a call and see exactly what comes in their package and who did the porting. Other things to check on are: distribution format (if the only thing it comes on is DC-600 QIC tape and you don't have the right drive you're out of luck) and manuals (many don't include them, which is fine for people like me who already have the complete AT&T and O'Reilly & Associates books, but lousy for everyone else.) Finally, if you want a cheap introduction to Unix (not X) you could try Coherent from Marc Williams Company ($99.95) (800-MARK-WMS) or Minix from Prentice-Hall Professional Software ($150) (800-241-3306). These Unix like OSs are roughly comparable to Unix System 7 (which doesn't have a thing to do with Macs). System 7 was the last universal Unix before everyone took off in their own directions. Minix also comes with all of its source code and older versions of it are freely available from some well-stocked BBSs and Internet sites. Oh yes, to get a cheap Unix fix, there's also Mortice Kern System's MKS Toolkit 3.1 ($199) (800-265-2797). This gives your plain-old DOS system a Unix makeover with a Unix-like shell and Unix utilities. Neat program, and its the easyest way to put your toe into Unix without leaving DOS behind. Steven [Shopper]