Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pasteur!ames!sgi!msc@ramoth.SGI.COM
From: msc@ramoth.SGI.COM (Mark Callow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: Re: 2400 Turbo
Message-ID: <32209@sgi.SGI.COM>
Date: 5 May 89 21:20:22 GMT
References: <8904211549.aa07442@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>
Sender: daemon@sgi.SGI.COM
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 34

In article <8904211549.aa07442@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>, RAAS@APLVM.BITNET (Randy Schrickel) writes:
> 
> Could someone please give me a definitve answer on this?
> 
> Is sgi going to release a 4sight/X windows/"something other than mex
> windowing system" for the 2400 Turbos? At Siggraph 88, sgi said no.
> At a local users group meeting (maybe a year ago) they said no. Now
> someone at work tells me sgi says yes! Does anyone know the truth?
> If the answer is yes, we would like to (memory) upgrade our systems
> while we still can, and before the new OS comes out.

This is a touchy subject and I don't know how best to answer it.  The
facts are:

	1.  SGI has decided to provide its customers with a new software
	    release for the 3xxx series machines.  We (Engineering) have
	    been told that this release is for bug fixes only.  No new
	    functionality is being allowed.

	2.  We have 4Sight (sans X) running on the 3xxx machines.
	    It's now several versions behind the 4D.  We made substantial
	    kernel changes to support 4Sight but given #1, we have no way
	    of putting those changes into a release.  The kernel needed
	    for 4Sight contains unrelated changes that require new versions
	    of certain system tools.

	    To make a release, we would have to bring 4Sight up-to-date
	    and also extensively test the entire system to ensure none
	    of the changes were detrimental.  Frankly, my group just
	    doesn't have the resources to support a release of the 3xxx
	    version of 4Sight even if the company were planning a 3xxx
	    release containing new functionality.
--
	-Mark