Re: [Fwd: linus.linux.sgi.com]

[david@carrera.columbus.sgi.com (David Watters)]

On Jan 19,  9:01pm, job bogan wrote:
> judging by
> previous SGI prices, i can buy twice as much 3rd party ram as SGI ram.

You will be glad to know that the memory will be available from 3rd parties.

> interface, we might look at them.  The lack of true multi-user and
> non-console interfaces in NT just takes these SGIs off the chart

Some of what you need may be bundled.  Take a look at the interoperability
kit that is bundled which includes a lot of what you mentioned.

> And once it's there, i see no reason to buy them unless i can get the
> Video Performance out of them.  (unless, perhaps, they clean up on raw
> cpu due to a cleaned up system bus.)

What system bus?  The FSB is the same, otherwise the off the shelf CPUs
(which I assume you will by 3rd party :) ) won't work.  Our memory
controller is lower latency than the 440xx and has huge bandwidth from
memory to the controller.  Both of these (mostly the latency) will show
on FP performance when you break cache.

> i've never been the world's biggest SGI/Irix fan.

Really? :)

> But - for my env., and
> most of the Academic world, i just don't see these as viable machines
> until Linux or Irix runs on them.  egh...  you may be able to get the
> CAD/CAM market back,  but i don't see us buying more SGIs soon.

The small little CAD/CAM market. :)
If we get that back then we will build all the Linux/IRIX boxes you
need.

Thanks for your perspective though.

-- 
David Watters         |                 Silicon*Graphics 
Systems Engineer      |                http://www.sgi.com/ 
Silicon Graphics, Inc.|    http://reality.sgi.com/davester/  (6/13/97) 
david.watters@sgi.com |  1.800.800.SGI1 (Sales) 1.800.800.4SGI (Support) 
DID 1.614.844.3820    |   http://www.nintendo.com/ (N64, the $130 SGI!)