sean@ukma.UUCP (Sean Casey) (03/22/85)
The reason that a BLIT is so expensive is because it isn't just a fancy terminal. It is a 800x1000 resolution bit-mapped graphics workstation. It has a mouse, 258k of ram, and a WC32000 microprocessor onboard that can upload and directly execute programs compiled on the 3b2. The software allows a window structure to be overlaid over System-V. By using multiplexed IO channels there can be multiple processes in the BLIT talking to multiple processes in the host. So it is an extremely smart graphics processor. That is why you were quoted such a high price. Actually, I have heard they are closer to $10,000 (I don't know, we got ours as a gift from AT&T). As terminals, they are damned nice, allowing you to put 6k on the screen at once. Makes editing a real breeze. I'd like to fool around sometime and generate some neat fonts. As for disadvantages, the high persistence phosphors aren't good for animation, and the keyboard bounces (back to the radio shack days). Sean -- Sean Casey UUCP: {hasmed, cbosgd}-\ {ucbvax, unmvax, boulder, research}!anlams---ukma!sean {mcvax!qtlon, vax135, mddc}!qusavx-/ ARPA: "ukma!sean"@ANL-MCS or sean%ukma.uucp@anl-mcs.arpa
gv@hou2e.UUCP (A.VANNUCCI) (03/22/85)
> The reason that a BLIT is so expensive is because it isn't just a fancy > terminal. It is a 800x1000 resolution bit-mapped graphics workstation. > It has a mouse, 258k of ram, and a WC32000 microprocessor onboard that > can upload and directly execute programs compiled on the 3b2. The 5620's that are being sold now have 1024 bytes of RAM. It is very useful as it allows the user to use six full-screen layers while leaving plenty of room for programs, alternate fonts, etc. Giovanni Vannucci AT&T Bell Laboratories HOH R-207 Holmdel, NJ 07733 hou2e!gv