Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!decwrl!pyramid!prls!philabs!sbcs!root
From: root@sbcs.sunysb.edu (SBCS Systems Staff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: AMIX?
Message-ID: <1207@sbcs.sunysb.edu>
Date: 24 Apr 88 14:26:57 GMT
References: <466@mailrus.cc.umich.edu> <863@gethen.UUCP> <391@brambo.UUCP> <1878@sugar.UUCP>
Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Lines: 36
Summary: What is a workstation?

Peter, the CMU spec is quite a few years old.  I think that even Chuck's
       estimate is a bit low ball, but workable.  This is our rough
       requirement for a next generation workstation a SUNY/Stony Brook:

	10-20 mips main processor
	> 10M SP Whetstones FP performance
	8 mBytes memory, must be expandable to 512 mBytes or greater
	Medium resolution color screen, eg 1280x1024x8, must be
		expandable to x24 and graphics rendering processor
	FDDI networking, at least.  At least 50 mbps end to end throughput.
	Fast internal bus, eg 100 mBps or greater.
	Real Unix.  We're comfortable with 4.3, or SunOS 4.X.  SysV not welcome.
	
       We're looking at SGI, Apollo PRISM, etc.  Our low end requirement
       is roughly Sun-3/60: 

	3 mips processor
	no min FP requirement, '881/'882 preferred
	4 mBytes memory, expandable to at least 16 mBytes
	Medium res color screen, eg 1024x1024x8
	Ethernet networking
	Real Unix.

      The CMU requirement is just that: it is what CMU will buy.  We have
      100+ Suns here, and I'll tell you that a 3/50 is pretty well threshold
      of pain in current workstations.  In such an environment, the current
      Amiga makes an awesome terminal with some compute ability.  It does
      not make a workable Unix machine.  At least for the sort of Unix
      we run here.

      Listen to Chuck.  He is giving you the straight story.  Real unix
      machines cost bucks.  

						Rick Spanbauer
						SUNY/Stony Brook