[geeks] Re: [rescue] Re: Sad end to SGI Power Challenge XL story

[Peter L. Wargo]

On Thu, 21 Mar 2002, Big Endian wrote:

> >Ack.  Is the machine really that bad?  I mean, I know your experience with
> 
> Pete just doesn't like them.  I happen to *LOVE* mine.  I've got it 
> in a place where I can keep it up now.  Even w/ 4xR4400 its *SCREAMS* 
> with the SGI compilers and what I've built on it so far.  Next 
> project is going to be PostgreSQL for it.

O.K., let me clarify.  I *really* hate SGI.  They stole a good chunk of my
life.  They also killed Cray.  The Challenge series is the focal point for
my rage, as I had to deal with a Challenge XL that was a pure lemon.  What
was worse was the arrogance of SGI, especially since I gave them a chance
to keep our business. (I dodn't want to move to another platform again.)

Having said that, the Callenge was a computer.  It works, but for my $$
I'd rather have an IBM or a Sun.  (Notice I left HP out.  I would take an
Alpha (I really wanted Mike N's 2100!), but only if it read D-E-C on the
label.)

If I were building a system as Joshua described (and I assume it would be
on the cheap side), I'd go down one of two paths:

1) Really cheap: SS1000 with 85MHz modules.  *great server*, and almost 10
years old.

2) Cheap: E4000 or 4500 with 4 250MHz 1M cache CPU's (cheap!), and a
metric buttload of I/O boards.  each I/O board has 100Mbit ether, 4SBUS
slots, 2 spots for FC GBICs, and a FW SCSI.

I still think that the E4000/4500 may be the best system *ever* made by
Sun.

-Pete