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From: upson@lavalite.asd.sgi.com (Craig Upson)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics.visualization
Subject: Re: info needed
Message-ID: <1990Nov12.184434.23529@odin.corp.sgi.com>
Date: 12 Nov 90 18:44:34 GMT
References: <1990Nov8.173804.5775@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Sender: news@odin.corp.sgi.com (Net News)
Reply-To: upson@lavalite.asd.sgi.com (Craig Upson)
Organization: sgi
Lines: 48

With respect to the recent flurry of messages regarding AVS's
availability on SGI platforms and SGI's visualization plans
I'd like to add my two cents.

AVS on an SGI?
   I spent several months negotiating in earnest with Stardent
regarding the licensing of AVS on our product line.  Stardent
was unable to accept our payment and royalty structure.
They were also unable to propose a price for this product themselves
(a job that the seller of an item usually performs!).
The original goals of AVS, as it was conceived at Stellar, was to be
available on all appropriate platforms, including Silicon Graphics.
Clearly the market demands and competitive nature of the workstation
business have caused Stardent to revisit these early decisions.
If Stardent simply said that they could not license the product
I would understand since  Silicon Graphics is their largest competitor.
Their inability to make a decision however I found disturbing.

Visualization Environment on the SGI product line.
   We have no burning desire to develop a suite of visualization
tools from scratch.  On the other hand we understand the limitations
of existing systems and don't believe that they will withstand the
test of time.  This happens with first generation, pioneering products.
The pressure to deliver a first generation product to the marketplace
frequently results in software that fails to meet the broad demands of
the user community. This is reflected in recent messages in this newsgroup
concerning limitations of these products.
   Given this situation, we are currently developing a second generation
visualization software environment at Silicon Graphics. We have the
luxury of learning from our own as well as others mistakes in previous
designs and believe that we can add a unique product to the market
which meets users expectations and desires.
   This is not meant to slam other efforts in this field.  I have an
overwhelming respect for my former colleagues at Stellar as well as others
in this field.  I believe that tough competition is the only way to
produce software and hardware systems that meet the test of time.

Requirements?
   What I'd like to see from this newsgroup is more user requirements,
  more wish lists and more involvement from users.
- What are other's perceptions of AVS and apE?
- Who has used Khoros?  What do you think?
- Does the "visual programming" paradigm work?
- What's lacking from all these systems?


-- 
   Craig Upson  upson@sgi.com  Silicon Graphics Inc.