Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!cae780!leadsv!laic!darin
From: darin@laic.UUCP (Darin Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: AMIX?
Message-ID: <222@laic.UUCP>
Date: 26 Apr 88 23:28:18 GMT
References: <466@mailrus.cc.umich.edu> <863@gethen.UUCP> <391@brambo.UUCP> <50356@sun.uucp>
Organization: Lockheed AI Center, Menlo Park
Lines: 57
Keywords: Amiga AMIX Unix

(Not really a Flame :-)

In article <50356@sun.uucp>, cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) writes:
> 
> Ok folks, I may get flamed for this but hey what's life for anyway.
> The problem comes when we get down to brass tacks and define what
> a "workstation" is. In my lexicon a workstation has 4 megabytes of
> memory, 1M pixels (optionally in color), 80Meg+ of disk space, UNIX*
                                                                 ^^^^
> in some form or another, and a window system in system in some form or
  ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^
> another. Ideally, it also has built in networking.

Hmmn, I wonder if DEC knows that they aren't selling workstations
after all :-)

Actually, my definition of a workstation would probably fall pretty
close to a Sun 3/75 (0 Meg disk space).  Other Sun versions may have more
power/etc., but the 3/75 fits my requirements:

  1) Sit on my desk (well it got used to be; imagine root not having his own
     sun :-(
  2) The cpu doesn't get bogged down by 'n' other users.
  3) I don't have to worry about messing up other users when I
     steal the CPU/crash-the-machine/etc.
  4) I have full access to disks/cpu on the groups MAIN machine.

Actually, the Amiga would fit my specs if it were; in my office,
had DNET, maybe some more memory (possibly '020).

I can run lots of stuff on my Amiga, and then turn to one of the DNET windows
and run a cpu intensive job on another machine.

Actually, I would class workstations into several categories:

  - Inexpensive computers to get a particular job done and to get 
    those darn administrators off of the VAX (MAC's IBM's)
  
  - Computers to supply windowing/etc. to a larger computer, with
    easy access to the larger computers files (and vice-versa).
    (The amiga described above would fall into this class)

  - Standalone workstations - what you describe above.  Generally meant
    for one user, although that never happens around here :-)
    (includes specialized publishing only or CAD only types)

  - Workstations that can be networked/coupled together.  For example
    Suns with NFS, X, etc. or vaxclusters.

  - ? Distributed computers - if anyone actually gets completely
    transparent distributed computers, would the individual nodes
    (with graphics) be considered Workstations?

Then again, I may be confusing workstations with WorkStations(R)...
-- 
Darin Johnson (...lll-lcc.arpa!leadsv!laic!darin)
              (...ucbvax!sun!sunncal!leadsv!laic!darin)
	"All aboard the DOOMED express!"