<s>
The	O
Altos	B-Device
586	I-Device
was	O
a	O
multi-user	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
intended	O
for	O
the	O
business	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
configuration	O
with	O
512	O
kB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
an	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
8086	I-General_Concept
processor	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Xenix	I-Application
,	O
and	O
10	O
MB	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
cost	O
about	O
US$	O
8,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
3Com	O
offered	O
this	O
Altos	B-Device
586	I-Device
product	O
as	O
a	O
file	O
server	O
for	O
their	O
IBM	O
PC	O
networking	O
solution	O
in	O
spring	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
network	O
was	O
10Base-2	O
(	O
thin-net	O
)	O
based	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
Ethernet	O
AUI	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
on	O
the	O
Altos	B-Device
586	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	O
in	O
August	O
1984	O
called	O
the	O
Altos	B-Device
586	I-Device
"	O
an	O
excellent	O
multiuser	O
UNIX	O
system	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
performance	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
price	O
among	O
small	O
Unix	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
reported	O
that	O
a	O
Altos	O
with	O
512	O
kB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
40	O
MB	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
"	O
under	O
moderate	O
load	O
approaches	O
DEC	B-Device
VAX	I-Device
performance	O
for	O
most	O
tasks	O
that	O
a	O
user	O
would	O
normally	O
invoke	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
author	O
reported	O
that	O
his	O
586	O
had	O
run	O
a	O
multiuser	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
system	I-Application
24	O
hours	O
a	O
day	O
for	O
more	O
than	O
two	O
years	O
with	O
no	O
hardware	O
failures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
Very	O
few	O
UNIX	O
or	O
XENIX	B-Application
computers	O
can	O
provide	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
586	O
for	O
$8990	O
"	O
,	O
especially	O
for	O
multiuser	O
turnkey	O
business	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
