Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!decwrl!orc!oliveb!pyramid!infmx!aland
From: aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Xerox sues Apple!!!
Summary: multiple monitor babble
Message-ID: <2936@infmx.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 89 05:05:40 GMT
References: <1989Dec21.010731.5240@hellgate.utah.edu> <6767@tank.uchicago.edu> <1989Dec17.112127.27333@me.toronto.edu> <14960@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <4574@ur-cc.UUCP> <37366@apple.Apple.COM> <625@bogart.UUCP> <1193@awdprime.UUCP> <37474@apple.Apple.COM>
Reply-To: aland@infmx.UUCP (alan denney)
Organization: INFORMIX Professional Services ("Peace thru Normalization")
Lines: 56

In article <37474@apple.Apple.COM> rewing@Apple.COM (Richard Ewing) writes:
>In article <1193@awdprime.UUCP> @cs.utexas.edu:ibmchs!auschs!woan.austin.ibm.com!ron writes:
>>In article <1989Dec21.010731.5240@hellgate.utah.edu>,
>>t-jacobs@cs.utah.edu (Tony Jacobs) writes:
>>> Oh, can the PC expand to two monitors and have contiguous workspace that
>>> is user configurable??
>>
>>Run AIX/PS2 or the Interactive Unix with X-Windows and stuff 4
>>monitors and run them all under X. Try that with a stock Mac or price
>>that with a Mac II. Remember a VGA, 25 MHz '386 with a 150MB Harddrive
>>...                                          Ron
>
>I think you've greatly missed the point here.  I can put multiple monitors
>on any Mac II or SE/30 class machine, and third parties have even
>figured out ways to do it with the SE and the original Mac Plus!

(BTW, multiple monitors != multiuser)

Big deal.  Any PC can do the same (well, XT or higher at least) --
it may or may not be useful depending on whether you have software
that makes use of both monitors.  For example, I have a mono and an EGA
on my Zenith AT at home, and I can use the Informix-4GL interactive
debugger on both screens at once (I use the mono for the debugger
screen and the EGA for the application screen).  There are other
debugger-type apps that do the same.  No problem.

(By the way, who said the Mac Plus was the "original"?  Ever hear of
the Mac 512K?  The Plus was once the top-of-the-line!)

>You talk about running 4 monitors on a PS/2 running AIX (UNIX!) and
>X-Windows(!!!) just to accomplish the same thing.  Then you talk about
>getting a computer with a 25 MHz processor, VGA, and a 150 meg hard
>disk.  Well, I dunno if you've priced IBM hardware lately, but if
>you can get a Model 70 with decent memory and all those things
>for $3500 dollars, I wanna know the dealer.  Of course, you haven't
>mentioned about where you are getting the monitors from.  And
>I guess you can run AIX on a clone, although I'm not sure who's doing it.
>And besides, its AIX!!!!  Not DOS!  Not Windows!  Not OS/2!!!  Not
>anything close to what normal people use!

Easy, easy.  Try decaf.  :-]  Anyway, there are lots of versions of
UNIX for 386s (even 286s) that don't *require* special hardware. 
You can easily run Interactive 386/ix (arguably the most robust 386
UNIX for generic boxes) with a 386 with VGA, etc. for $3500.  Other 
versions like ESIX would be even cheaper.  Then, you get a true 
*multiuser* system.  How many simultaneous users can you run on the Mac?  

>|Internet: REWING@APPLE.COM-----------------------Rick Ewing              |

--
  Alan S. Denney  @  Informix Software, Inc.    "We're homeward bound
       {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland               ('tis a damn fine sound!)
 --------------------------------------------    with a good ship, taut & free
  Disclaimer:  These opinions are mine alone.    We don't give a damn, 
  If I am caught or killed, the secretary        when we drink our rum
  will disavow any knowledge of my actions.      with the girls of old Maui."