[SunRescue] we're all just spoiled (was: re: IPC)

[DaveMcGuiremcguire at neurotica.com]

On October 23, Bill Bradford wrote:
> > Serious question Bob, why X?  Can you "really" get anything done on a system
> > this slow?  Or are you thinking have X and using it as an X-Terminal?  No
> > Flamebait intended on this one.
> > (Personally I've just avoided it out of hand on boxes this slow.)
> > Just curious.
> > Mike Hebel
> 
> Think about it guys - this was once a SOLD, SUPPORTED FACTORY CONFIG!
> 
> People were *glad* to have machines like this!
> 
> We're all just spoiled rotten with machines now.  Once upon a time, this was
> the latest "hot box".  People would kill to have their own SPARCs on their
> desk...

  Yeah, really.

  Except for one or two trendy things (mp3s come to mind), we are
DOING THE SAME THING with our much faster machines today that we did
when the IPC was new.  Sure, commercial profitware like Windoze has
become slower and more bloated, but OUR software really hasn't.

  Again, playing mp3s notwithstanding...why do we think we need dual
450MHz UltraSPARC processors to do the same work as a 25MHz SPARC used
to do?

  Thanks again to the wonderful world of PeeCees...we send old
"friends" to hamfests and dumpsters because something else gets
advertised that "GOTS MORE MEGA-HURT!"

  Do I use an IPC on my desk?  No, I don't.  But I run a growing rack
full of SPARCstation-2s up in NJ that generates several thousands of
dollars per month of real revenue.

  Unless you're playing a lot of mp3s and have more bandwidth than I
do to your house, the bottleneck will ALWAYS be your connectivity.  I
suspect an IPC can easily saturate a 10mbps ethernet...it can surely
saturate a 1.544mbps T1.

  Sheesh.  I'm gonna start advertising bridges (highway-style, not
network-style) for sale in business magazines.  Damn suits will
probably buy them up like crazy.

         -Dave McGuire