[geeks] Daily Dose of Unix

[Chris Byrne]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: geeks-bounces at sunhelp.org 
> [mailto:geeks-bounces at sunhelp.org] On Behalf Of Kurt Huhn
> 
> Anyway, the point I was *trying* to make is that I expect SGI to
> announce a new workstation platform to go with the R18k CPUs.  I very
> well may be wrong, but I expect it nonetheless.
> 

You may be right, but that's an awfully expensive proposition especially
if the future of MIPS remains uncertain. Form a marketing prespective it
makes a lot of sense to introduce a new workstation line, but theres a
HUGE capitol outlay involve, not only in research, development, and
tooling, but also in gaining mindshare.

I mean at this point Id guess everyone in this segment knows how great
the Octane platform is. No-one wants to pull a datsun and throw away
that kind of model awareness. 

I suppose the major descriminator is the relative performance of the
r18k. Will it blow the existing Octane2's on their asses?

If ti's onlu an incremental oimprovement I wouldn't expect a whole new
workstation platform, though a significant update on the Octane 2 (High
Octane maybe ;-)or perhaps a dual processor fuel might be in the cards. 
 
If theres a big perfromance jump though, I'd say it's a 100% lock that a
new workstation line will come out. Probably playing on the Octane ->
fuel naming scheme. Hell with the SOTU address, and their history with
the O2, why not just call it the Hydrogen ;-)

Chris Byrne