Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!bionet!ames!ncar!asuvax!hrc!uucs1!gaf
From: gaf@uucs1.UUCP (gaf)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: x-window on dos or os/2
Message-ID: <122@uucs1.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jul 89 01:31:00 GMT
References: <19210@louie.udel.EDU>
Reply-To: gaf@uucs1.UUCP ()
Organization: UUCS inc., Phoenix Az
Lines: 54


We're heavily involved in X stuff (calm down - this isn't alt.sex), and
have a copy of Locus' PC-Xsight server for our 286.  It's release 1.1,
and suffers greatly from having to run in 640K.  Can't run uwm and xcalc
at the same time without running out of memory (some of it is taken by
the TCP/Ethernet drivers running a 3Com 3C503 Ethernet board).  It
doesn't run out of memory gracefully.  Performance is good, even when
running a couple of plaid clients simultaneously.  The list of display
cards they support in this version is a bit on the small side, and none
of the "super-VGA" modes.  640x480 doesn't cut it in X.

Locus is just now releasing (what is rumored to be) a much improved version.
It will take advantage of however much extended memory you care to stuff
in your 286.  If true, this should make it a fine product.  They also will
support more display cards/modes (you should probably call them for better,
more up-to-date information than I'm summarizing here).  Price is ~$400.

Another company selling an X server for 286's is Integrated Inference
Machines.  They have an interesting approach in that their server runs
under (on top of?) Microsoft Windows, whereas Locus' server takes over
the whole machine.  This means you can use any display card/mode that
comes with a driver for Windows.  The product is called X11/AT, and is
also ~$400.  The drawback with X11/AT is that it only supports the
Excelan Ethernet board (a "smart" board which isn't cheap!).  They will
be supporting other ("dumb") boards soon.  It already takes advantage of
extended memory.  Haven't used X11/AT yet, although it was up and
running at Xhibition '89 at the end of June.  I'll post a review of it
if we get one. 

In the 386 world, both X11/AT and PC-Xview from Graphic Software Systems
are available.  We don't plan to look at 386 X servers since our 386's
will be running X under UNIX.

Here are the vitals:

Locus Computing Corp
9800 La Cienega Blvd.
Inglewood, CA  90301
(213) 670-6500

Integrated Inference Machines
1468 E. Katella Ave.
Anaheim, CA  92805
(714) 978-6776

GSS
9590 SW Gemini Dr.
PO Box 4900
Beaverton, OR  97005
(503) 641-2200
-- 
Guy Finney					It's that feeling of deja-vu
UUCS inc.   Phoenix, Az				all over again.
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