Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!sri-unix!mark@umcp-cs From: mark%umcp-cs@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.works Subject: workstation trends Message-ID: <1535@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Mon, 2-Jul-84 19:58:21 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.1535 Posted: Mon Jul 2 19:58:21 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 14-Jul-84 13:22:04 EDT Lines: 45 From: Mark Weiser Subject: Workstation trends Newsgroups: net.works Distribution: net I am currently in the middle of a big workstation procurement. I have noticed a couple of interesting trends in workstations that I would like to share and get comments on. First, color. Quite a few of the newer workstations come with color standard, even to excluding B/W even as an option (Metheus). The older workstations are only B/W (xerox) or color as a second thought add-on (Sun). (Exception: color is well integrated into Apollo.) Is color the trend of the future even for non-CAD/CAM engineering workstations? Given that no one really knows how to use color except in specialized applications, color is not now a particular advantage in a general workstation. But it may be soon, if color becomes a standard part of unix systems and we learn how to use it. But for the next five years, is color worth the premium in cost ($7-10k) without a specific application? I don't think so. Second, multiple processors. A lot of workstations these days have multiple more-or-less general-purpose processors. (Not counting bit-sliced graphics do-dads.) Generally, one is general purpose and one handles the display. For instance: 3B2 (main processor and blit processor), Metheus (main processor, peripherals and paging processor, display processor), Symbolics 3600 (peripherals processor and main processor), Masscomp (main processor, paging processor, display processor). Graphics look very good on these systems, without the big pauses for process switching that one sees on a Sun when running multiple graphics jobs. Paging and heavy i/o may be a little better, but not more than 10%, I think. For color, apparently, these processors are more-or-less necessary. Xerox and Sun and Apollo seem behind the times in forcing their single processor to do all the work. True? My own opinion is that the extra processors won't help a bit in 99% of what a software engineering workstation is used for: compiles and editing and text processing and software building. That means that they are probably not worth their extra cost at this time.