Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!stiatl!jer
From: jer@stiatl.UUCP (John Ramspott)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: The Software inside of X Terminals
Keywords: X Terminal, X Windows, System Code
Message-ID: <8893@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 7 Feb 90 15:00:56 GMT
References: <46685@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> <9002012052.AA25447@expo.lcs.mit.edu> <2480@dlvax2.datlog.co.uk>
Reply-To: jer@stiatl.UUCP (John Ramspott)
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., "The Prototype IS the Product..."
Lines: 39

>The NCR offering states that the ROM based software in the Towerview
>consists of X11 Server software, NCR TowerView Services, and
>Operating Executive. I have heard that there is a "cut down" version
>of UNIX running in the terminal.
>   
>First off, does anyone have any idea on whether this is true
>and, if so, what's in a "cut down" UNIX in this instance? Secondly, does
>anyone out there know what "services" TowerView Services and the
>Operating Executive are providing? I hazard a guess that what's really involved
>here is screen and network device support plus some memory management ???

  Yes, the operating system in the TowerView is called XINU (Xinu Is Not Unix),
which the astute will also notice is UNIX backwards. The higer end TV has a
Motorola 68020 and couple of megs of memory. In this OS, the X server is
running, as well as network support and diagnostic stuff. The TowerView
can be setup to run over the network or over a serial line. Currently, TV
can run over Towernet (XNS I think) and TCP/IP over ethernet. I do not know
what release of X the server is currently.

  One thing pretty unique about the TowerView with its mini-operating
system is that it can "download" applications to itself and run them locally,
which potentially can really speed up an application. However, you are
limited by memory and other constraints as to what and how many applications
can be downloaded and run on the TowerView itself. You wouldn't use this
feature for most things since distributed processing is a big advantage of X,
but it is there for any time critical applications.

  I used it briefly when I worked for NCR and took an X-Windows class. It was
nice terminal, except the one we used was smaller than the terminals we use
here at my new job (Visual 19" displays).  Towerview is worth looking at,
but make sure they support it on the hardware you intend to hook it up to.

--John

-- 
John Ramspott						gatech!stiatl!jer
Sales Technologies, Inc
3399 Peachtree Rd, NE
Atlanta, GA  (404) 841-4000