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From: cpc@AMES-NAS.ARPA (Chuck Collins)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Workstations - how are they used?
Message-ID: <10478@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 7-May-85 13:11:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.10478
Posted: Tue May  7 13:11:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 10-May-85 01:48:03 EDT
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
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I have a simple question: what is it that people use workstations for?

I have occasional access to a Silicon Graphics Iris workstation running
UNIX Sys V. Aside from showing off the F-15 flight simulator to visitors
and displaying my prompt in magenta, I usually use the workstation to call
up a nearby VAX over ethernet and do things on the VAX that I could do from
my Kimtron at home.

How do people apply high-powered work stations in software development? If
I were heavily involved in producing graphics applications on its display,
or if there were some sort of windowing facility a la blit, I could see how
it might be a win. But in general, the technology that the Iris, a Sun, or any
of the other graphics workstations offer seems to be very expensive for what
it adds to the general-purpose UNIX user. Do others have similar or contrary 
views?

Chuck Collins                 cpc@ames-nas       {ihnp4,hplabs}!ames!amelia!cpc