[rescue] Spark10 CPU question

[john ferguson]

HI Guys,
this is sort of a reality check.

I'm running an old (but great)  CAD program on an SS10 using SunOS 
4.1.4.  I also have a SPARCPrinter 1, which also works and have compiled 
a 2006+/- flavor of Ghostscript to accept more modern versions of 
PostScript output and print them.  And, no, I didn't really know what I 
was doing, but in these circumstances I just kept pounding on it until 
it worked.  First get newest version of GCC to compile using Sun's C 
compiler, then incrementally bootstrap my way to most recent gcc which 
would compile, then work backwards on the ghostscript code til one worked.

I was once a SunVAR which is why I have this stuff.  I could describe 
the rest of this setup and what I encountered in getting it out of 
storage after ten years, what worked and what didn't and what I did 
about it.  One thing for sure is do NOT waste money trying to get a Sony 
based CD drive to work.  I bought 2 before I took one apart and 
discovered the failed electrolytic capacitors. One I bought worked for 
three loads, then failed.  The other a little longer.  I replaced the 
drive itself with a panasonic which works fine and doesn't require those 
damned caddies.  somewhere on the web probably descended from usenet is 
a dissertation of cd drives to use with unix systems.  the advice is sound.

to the question:

My memory is that there is no benefit for multiple processors in 4.1.4, 
and it seems unlike the application I use the most would benefit either.

Second question, is if you had this system, which CPU would you use?  
Stability would be nice and higher performance than the base TI twin CPU 
I have now would be the goal.

I'm assuming that I'll buy the recommended boar on-line.  and maybe a 
peppier frame-buffer.

best,

john