Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!helios!daugher From: daugher@cs.tamu.edu (Dr. Walter C. Daugherity) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: New color Sun SPARCstation IPC Message-ID: <6903@helios.TAMU.EDU> Date: 27 Jul 90 00:24:11 GMT References: <1990Jul26.222508.4299@midway.uchicago.edu> Sender: usenet@helios.TAMU.EDU Distribution: usa Organization: Texas A&M University Lines: 52 In article <1990Jul26.222508.4299@midway.uchicago.edu> phd_jacquier@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >.... >[Many features of the new color Sun SPARCstation IPC are] >available on SS1+ > >.... I don't see how it fits with the SS1+. >What's the difference between this station and the SS1+ ? >I got some information last week from SUN about the SS1+. >One can only put one (or two) 104MB internal >drives in it. Otherwise, it's a 327MB EXTERNAL drive. I was not told of any >207MB internal drive available from SUN, and not for 1000 dollars!!! >This station seems to have all what the SS1+ has, and more, for fewer >dollars! >Is this just the SS1+ with a lower price? >Or, are they simultaneously dropping their prices on the SS1+? > The IPC is in fact a "clone" of the SPARCstation 1+. It is packaged for minimum price, and consequently lacks the expandability of the SS1+ and the graphics performance of the SS1+GX. Also, the serial ports on the IPC use DIN-8 connectors and thus don't have enough pins for some synchronous serial modems to use SunNet and SunLink products. (An additional SBus board could support them.) You are right about Sun (and NeXT, unfortunately) overpricing their disks (and memory too!). Sun must have realized that high-end PC users (the obvious market for the IPC) would not pay their usual prices for more disk, and cut their price for an internal hard disk accordingly. However, the IPC expansion drives are still overpriced ($1700 for 104 MB, $3700 for 327 MB, and $5100 for 669 MB). The 207 MB is physically different so I don't know if it could be used in a SS1+. The IPC has 12 SIMM sockets versus 16 on the SS1+, 2 SBus slots instead of 3, and capacity for only 1 hard disk instead of 2. >>2100 software packages are available, including Lotus 1-2-3, Word Perfect, >>DBase IV, and Ventura Publishing. > >If it has the same architecture as the SS1+ and other SPARCS, then DOSwindow >is available from SUN and one could even run all DOS software in there. I don't >know if there is a limit on the number of DOS windows that can be opened. > > >Eric I don't know either. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walter C. Daugherity Internet, NeXTmail: daugher@cs.tamu.edu Knowledge Systems Research Center uucp: uunet!cs.tamu.edu!daugher Texas A & M University BITNET: DAUGHER@TAMVENUS College Station, TX 77843-3112 CSNET: daugher%cs.tamu.edu@RELAY.CS.NET ---Not an official document of Texas A&M---