Are Sparc workstation clones needed (opinions please)

[Doug Roberts]

In article <6115 at brazos.Rice.edu> pcinews!observer at cs.utexas.edu writes:

> In the coming months several workstation makers are expected to announce
> Sun Sparcstation-compatible machines. These machines are expected to offer
> users competitive performance at low prices. Assuming all this is true, is
> there a market for a low cost Sparc- based Sun-compatible workstation? Or,
> for perhaps $1,000 - $2,000 extra per machine, is it worth it for Sun
> users to have a fully compatible Sun machine for easier system
> administration -- the genuine article?  Solbourne obviously has taken the
> "high road" and is adding value with multi-processors and OS enhancements.
> However, is there a need on the other end of the scale?  You opinions
> requested.

Given that I need a 22 MIPS desktop Sun or Sun-compatible SPARC _NOW_ (as
compared to whenever Sun will have their SS2 available*), and given that I
will be able to upgrade said 22 MIPS (4.8 MFLOP) Solbourne to about 27
MIPS in July, and given that I will be able to stick a second CPU in the
machine to get 40 MIPS (& ~9 MFLOPS) any time I develop the need, and
given that I can expand the Solbourne to a full 256 MB memory, and given
that I can purchase the machine _TODAY_ at about 2/3 the price of a 16
MIPS, 2.x MFLOP Sun 4/330

I'd say the compatibles have a nice market notch waiting for them to fill.

*Note: The 4/90 does not fit the bill: it is not a desktop machine.

Douglas Roberts                |
Los Alamos National Laboratory |I can resist anything
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