Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!ingr!phil
From: phil@ingr.com (Phil Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Well the rumor I heard....
Message-ID: <6774@ingr.com>
Date: 5 Oct 89 18:35:53 GMT
References: <6699@ingr.com> <4462@cbnewsh.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: phil@ingr.UUCP (Phil Johnson)
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, Al
Lines: 49

In article <4462@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> wolf@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (thomas.wolf,ho,) writes:
>
>One poster previously mentioned that "Personal Workstation" has an "industry
>standard definition."  To that poster:  Could you please indicate who created
>that definition?  And what is it?
>

The term "Personal Workstation" was originated by the marketing research
companies such as International Data Corp., Dataquest, DataPro, and Anderson 
Report based on a number of surveys taken throughout the different market
segments served by workstations (ie electronic, mechanical, AEC, mapping,
emergency dispatch, facility management, electronic publishing, and econometric
modeling to name a few).  The workstation market extends far past the 
engineer's desk and there lies the rub.  We tend to think of things only in
framework of our small area.  Since taking on the role of product planning in
a workstation marketing group I have had my eyes open wide and my eyelids
stapled back.  It was an amazing revelation.  The term refers specifically to 
the high-end PCs, such as Compaq 386, AST Research 386,......., and Mac IIs.  
The distinction between Personal workstations and traditional workstation only 
began to converge in the last year.  During that time the 33 Mhz 80386 cpus 
were released and the MAC IIs took off.  These two types of personal computer 
deliver the computational power (albiet single user, single tasking) of the 
traditional multiuser, multitasking workstations.  Also, Silicon Graphics, Sun,
DEC, Apollo, and Intergraph introduced UNIX (VMS - VAXstation) workstation 
with a fairly low price tag ($5K-$25K) compared to the normal $30K-$300K 
price tag.

In truth, an AST or Compaq 386/33 provides approximately 7-10 Drystone-dp
(ugh) MIPS in the price range of ~ $7,800 to $12,500.  The traditional low-end
workstations configured as standalone, disk-based system range from $5,496 to
$28,000 and provide computational power of 5-10 Drystone (dp) MIPS.

The distinction is really more a way to set a lower and upper bounds on a
dividing line that is fuzzy and getting fuzzied everyday. Talking about fuzzy,
the Apollo Series 2500 is an MC68030-based workstation with MAC II-like 
performance, but is runs UNIX so is classed as a low-end traditional work-
statin, go figure.

I have spent the better part of this year researching the low-end workstation 
market and have found the line at best a moving target.  It kind of reminds me
of a chaotic model, but the people who use them created the definition.  

In case you feel left out, I never got a vote either.  8-{)


-- 
Philip E. Johnson                    UUCP:  usenet!ingr!b3!sys_7a!phil
MY words,                           VOICE:  (205) 772-2497
MY opinion!