>
>Subject: Re: kernel compile times (was: SGI workstation sequence)
> From: "Ethan Dicks" <ethan.dicks at gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:01:02 +1300
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>On 10/24/07, Richard <legalize at xmission.com> wrote:
>>
>> In article <471E85C0.4050703 at gmail.com>,
>> Sridhar Ayengar <ploopster at gmail.com> writes:
>>
>> > My compile on the VAXstation 2000 was at least a few days. Maybe a week.
>>
>> Are we talking *just* the kernel here, or are we talking compiling a
>> full distribution (all the utility programs, shell programs, X server,
>> X clients, etc.).
>>
>> I have a really hard time believing it takes a few days *just* to
>> compile the kernel. Toss in the huge pile of additional programs
>> accessible from the shell or the X Window System and now we're talking
>> believable.
>
>Sridhar can answer for the details of his VS2000, but in my case, the
>two machines I have the most experience with are the 11/750 and
>11/730, and Ultrix 1.1 (4.2BSD under the hood, IIRC). It may be that
>I didn't do a complete compile from source, just a kernel rebuild of
>drivers and affected areas from the installation process, and it may
>be that the disk on a VS2000 is vastly slower than Unibus and IDC
>disks on the 11/750 and 11/730, respectively. I do stand by my 8-10
>hour kernel compile time after an initial install of the OS on a blank
>disk for those machines - if my memories have not entirely
>disintegrated, it took all of a long work day to install Ultrix, but
>not more than one.
Under VMS:
A VS2000 that is light on ram and the page and swap files are small
will be very slow, it will swap it's brains out. The differnce from
a 6MB untuned and 12MB or more machine that is tuned without Decwindows
running is far more than one might imagine. I managed to hack one
for two RD54s (using a second box under it) and put the page and swap
on the second drive and it does help. A base Ultrix install from TK50
was slow but it seems the TK50 was as much to blame for that.
If memory serves you could get to 14MB in a VS2000 IF you can get the
right card.
Allison
>
>-ethan
Message: 24
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:59:13 -0700
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
Subject: Re: 5-1/4 diskette drive on current computers
<snip>
>Anent the configuration situation and a related thread, there are
>chipsets that also allow interfacing a floppy via the parallel port
>with suitable configuration. But again, your BIOS is going to be a
>problem for this if you're using a "modern" Windoze OS.
<snip>
>Cheers,
>Chuck
-----------
Nevertheless, in light of the amount of misinformation about the
subject (apparently even on the MS site) it might be worth mentioning
again that at least XP does not have any problems with any of the standard
floppy formats (although all except 3.5HD require formatting from a CLI),
and that the restrictions, if any, are in the modern BIOSs and mobo
hardware no matter how modern (or not) the OS may be.
mike
Hi,
We have ancient system that I'm switching over from VT340 to
PC's running a terminal emulator - and would about (6) of the factory
ones ($25.00 ea - I believe you said) do you still have 'em?
Krieg Moore
Electronics Technician
DGS/RESD/BPM/
Capitol Historic Region/Electronics Shop
Ethan Dicks wrote:
> I've had some interest, off and on, of fiddling with some SGI
> hardware. I really wanted an Indy when they came out, but couldn't
> come close to affording it (I ended up buying a SPARC 1 for $800 the
> following year, and many, many job opportunities and good things came
> from that). I did get to fiddle with an Indigo^2 in the mid-1990s,
> during the Virtual Reality bubble, but couldn't afford one of those at
> the time, either.
I know the feeling. I remember reading the Byte review of the Indy in 1993... I wanted one SO badly. Couldn't justify the price of several thousand dollars back then, though. I was a student at the time, and I had two classrooms full of Suns at my disposal (SPARCclassic and SPARCstation LX).
I did buy an Indy about ten years ago, though. Still paid the equivalent of about a thousand dollars for it. Seeing what they go for these days ($0 - $25) kinda hurts...
> I had the chance to pick up a discarded Indy about 4 years ago, but by
> the time I returned with wheels, someone else had carted it away.
> Given the descendent machines in the family tree in this thread, I'm
> beginning to wonder if I shouldn't go after an Octane or an O2 rather
> than an Indigo or an Indy, at least if I wanted to do more than take
> the demo programs for a spin.
>
> So for the more experienced SGI folks - do you feel that an Indy or
> Indigo is responsive enough to be reasonable to use, or is it worth
> holding out for something newer and most likely more expensive to
> acquire? Also, something I don't know much about, do the older
> personal graphic workstations use odd or impossible-to-find memory, or
> are they easy/cheap to load up?
O2 is cheap enough these days that I'd recommend it as the minimum config to get. And go for the R10K models, too. Even Octanes can be had cheap enough to be considered for just playing around. You gan a lot of expandibility whan going for one of those. Although they are significantly bigger, hotter and noisier. Then again, some might consider that a plus. ;-)
Indies are nice to just have, make pretty decent servers, too, but I wouldn't buy an Indy today for workstation use.
,xtG
tsooJ
Pete Turnbull wrote:
> The fastest official O2 (I think) is R12000 400Mhz, but there was a DIY
> RM7000 600MHz upgrade for 300MHz R5ks.
Yeah, that's something to bear in mind; SGI workstations have a plethora of CPU options, so they were available in many configuration from cheap budget machines to high end number crunchers.
The Fastest O2's are O2+'s, but they're really only different in the case colour (purple vs. blue) and the logo (Cube vs. that weird-ass script logo). The R5K O2's can sport anything from R5000PC180 to R7000SC350, the R10K model can be equipped with R10000SC150 through R120000SC400. Unlike Indigo2, however, a different class CPU on an O2 means a different motherboard.
,xtG
tsooJ
ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote:
> >
> > The 5182 is a dot matrix printer with a four color ribbon. Kludge on a
> > stick.
> Thet idea was not uncommn at the time. DEC made one called the 'LA324'
> which could take a colour ribbon and mechanically shifted it up and down
> to change colour. I also rememebr using an Epson printer in the mid
> 1980s that could take a 'colour kit' which was a motor + mechanical bits
> to tilt the ribbon.
The NEC CP6 and CP7 printers (colour variants of the P6/P7) also used such an arrangement - wheels sliding along profiled shafts and small toothed belts to change the height of the ribbon guide on the printer carriage by means of a stepper motor mounted on the chassis. I had the "fun" of repairing a broken guide bridge on mine (had to fit a reinforcement under the crack and reassure it didn't bind or collide with anything).
So long,
--
Arno Kletzander
Stud. Hilfskraft Informatik Sammlung Erlangen
www.iser.uni-erlangen.de
GMX FreeMail: 1 GB Postfach, 5 E-Mail-Adressen, 10 Free SMS.
Alle Infos und kostenlose Anmeldung: http://www.gmx.net/de/go/freemail
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:17:58 -0400
>From: Sridhar Ayengar <ploopster at gmail.com>
>Subject: Re: IBM junk
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Message-ID: <471D3DB6.4030803 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>Gordon JC Pearce wrote:
>> On Sun, 2007-10-21 at 22:19 -0400, William Donzelli wrote:
>>
>> The 5182 is a dot matrix printer with a four color ribbon. Kludge on a stick.
>>
>> I have a printer (possibly Seikosha?) with a CMYK ribbon and 24-pin
>> head. The printout from it is surprisingly good.
>Wasn't there also the Okidata ML395C with a similar setup?
>Peace... Sridhar
-------------------------
Citizen as well; in fact I still have some colour conversion kits (print head
and ribbon) for the MSP and HSP if anybody wants one.
m
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:24:10 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>
>Subject: Re: Alternative Hardware Design for Floppy Interface
>On Mon, 22 Oct 2007, M H Stein wrote:
>> Ummm... not entirely facetiously: I've got some bubble memory cartridges
>> (MS-DOS) that I wouldn't mind archiving...
>Which format?
>I may still have some Gavilan ones.
--------------------
Sharp PC5000; mostly the customized apps like WordStar, SuperCalc, etc.
Guess I could pull them off through the comm app somehow though; haven't
looked at it for a while & don't recall whether I can xfer binary files that way.
m
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:20:30 -0400
>From: Sridhar Ayengar <ploopster at gmail.com>
>Subject: Re: IBM junk
>SUPRDAVE at aol.com wrote:
>> BTW, if the hard drive fails, you might be in trouble. If memory
>> serves, the N51SX uses a 2.5" ESDI (!) drive.
>>
>> The Thinkpad 700 also uses an ESDI drive.
>Indeed. Another problem machine for that reason.
>Peace... Sridhar
-----------------
Good news! That means mine have some value after all...
m
