tribe@groucho (06/07/90)
In article <RIDDLER.90Jun5234617@aiken.iesd.auc.dk> riddler@iesd.auc.dk (Claus Priisholm) writes: [ TT stuff deleted... ] >- Atari launched their Transputer Workstation, C= has - what can I say... The Atari Transputer Workstation ("ATW"?) has been launched? Was this only in Europe? I liked what I read about it in the June '88 BYTE. (It was then called "Abaq" and scheduled for September 1988 release :-) Key features mentioned in Dick Pountain's article: Helois mulit-processor UNIX-like O.S., fast "charity" blitter, 1024x768 256 colors for < $5000. Ah, promises, promises! If I missed the ATW, please E-Mail info. Thanks! -- Duane Tribe, tribe@ted.cs.uidaho.edu The Log killed Laura Palmer.
ins_bac@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Ajay Choudhri) (06/08/90)
In article <1990Jun7.045631.1812@groucho> tribe@ted.cs.uidaho.edu (Duane Tribe) writes: >In article <RIDDLER.90Jun5234617@aiken.iesd.auc.dk> riddler@iesd.auc.dk >(Claus Priisholm) writes: >[ TT stuff deleted... ] >>- Atari launched their Transputer Workstation, C= has - what can I say... >The Atari Transputer Workstation ("ATW"?) has been launched? Was this only >in Europe? > >Ah, promises, promises! If I missed the ATW, please E-Mail info. Thanks! I was under the impression that Perihelion(the R&D engine for the ATW) went under taking the ATW with it?? Are they still around, not that I reallly care mind you..I cant afford it, and somehow I assume support for it in the US will be absolutely terrible. This is rather funny, since it was I who was so optimistic two days ago with the launch of the TT. Oh well.... > >-- >Duane Tribe, tribe@ted.cs.uidaho.edu > >The Log killed Laura Palmer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ajay Choudhri(Vidiot) C&P 301-467-4223 ins_bac@Jhunix.bitnet ins_bac@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu ins_bac@jhunix.UUCP !uunet!aplcen!jhunix!ins_bac UNLV, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, NJ Devils, NJ Nets, and Man United rule Learn Japanese before its the law!!!! -Quotes from nonsensical sources. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Line fodder follows . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
mitsolid@acf5.NYU.EDU (Thanasis Mitsolides) (06/08/90)
In article <RIDDLER.90Jun5234617@aiken.iesd.auc.dk> riddler@iesd.auc.dk (Claus Priisholm) writes: > The Atari Transputer Workstation ("ATW"?) has been launched? Was this only > in Europe? > I liked what I read about it in the June '88 BYTE. (It was then called "Abaq" > and scheduled for September 1988 release :-) Key features mentioned in Dick I guess it won't be late (1-2 years at most) before it will be re-promised I don't know how it will be call then though... Seriously, the only reason I think that it may eventually come out is that ATARI has nothing whatsoever to do with it (except of the label). Thinking of the people who needed 4 years to fix a couple of bugs in TOS trying to comprehend the complexities of a multiprosessing multiptocessor operating system is quite hilarious actually :-) Thanasis
grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham Thomas) (06/08/90)
From article <1990Jun7.045631.1812@groucho>, by tribe@groucho: > > The Atari Transputer Workstation ("ATW"?) has been launched? Was this only > in Europe? > The ATW is, as far as I know, available in the UK (it's just not being marketed very well, but that's par for the course). The hardware side of Perihelion, which did most of the ATW development, has folded, but some (maybe most - not sure) of the employees have transferred to Atari UK where, according to a rep at the Atari Show last week, they are still developing stuff for the ATW. The Helios OS is probably still being looked after by Perihelion software, although they're developing it for a wide variety of platforms. The base price for an ATW was quoted at the show as being 6000 pounds - somewhat more than originally forecast. For a bit more, you can probably get lots more transputers. Graham -- Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, U of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK JANET: grahamt@uk.ac.sussex.syma BITNET: grahamt%syma.sussex.ac.uk@UKACRL INTERNET: grahamt%syma.sussex.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk UUCP: grahamt%syma.sussex@ukc.uucp PHONE: +44 273 686758 FAX: [..] 685865
cmm1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Christopher M Mauritz) (06/08/90)
In article <15520005@acf5.NYU.EDU> mitsolid@acf5.NYU.EDU (Thanasis Mitsolides) writes: >In article <RIDDLER.90Jun5234617@aiken.iesd.auc.dk> riddler@iesd.auc.dk >(Claus Priisholm) writes: > >> The Atari Transputer Workstation ("ATW"?) has been launched? Was this only >> in Europe? > >> I liked what I read about it in the June '88 BYTE. (It was then called "Abaq" >> and scheduled for September 1988 release :-) Key features mentioned in Dick > >I guess it won't be late (1-2 years at most) before it will be re-promised >I don't know how it will be call then though... > >Seriously, the only reason I think that it may eventually come out >is that ATARI has nothing whatsoever to do with it (except of the label). > >Thinking of the people who needed 4 years to fix a couple of bugs in TOS >trying to comprehend the complexities of a multiprosessing multiptocessor >operating system is quite hilarious actually :-) Hehe...To be fair, I think Atari bought the ATW technology and then paid a third party to deal with the OS and support software. They just shelled out the (giggle) money. Whether or not the ATW ever sees the light of day in a mass-produced form is doubtful. 2-3 years ago the Inmos T800 (the ATW engine) was close to the forefront of RISC technology, but now it is quickly losing ground to better chips. I have personally heard from one netter who was using one in England at a university, but I don't remember any of the details. Maybe someone who has used one will give us an idea of the capabilities of the machine? > >Thanasis Chris ------------------------------+--------------------------- Chris Mauritz |Donde hay una cerveza cmm1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu |hay un plan. (c)All rights reserved. | Send flames to /dev/null |El Guerrero Aereo es el rey! ------------------------------+---------------------------
Chris.Forker@newcastle.ac.uk (Chris Forker - Nav Arch-) (06/08/90)
As far as I know the ATW is alive and well. I read in some computing mag that it is to be used to design one of the British entries for the America's Cup. I think our computing lab here at Newcastle has at least one of them. Who you actual by the ATW from I don't konw. I have never seen one advertised and wonder if the departure of Les Player (former Tech. Manager) from Atari UK had anything to do with it's lack of promotion. Chris..... +-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--+--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-+ | mail: Chris.Forker@newcastle.ac.uk | Dept. Marine Technology | | voice: +44 91 2226000 X 6750 | Newcastle University | | fax: +44 91 2611182 | Newcastle upon Tyne | | | NE1 7RU ENGLAND | +-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--+--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-+
Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (06/09/90)
Chris Brown asks: >I was under the impression that the ATW was available and in use across the >Atlantic. Any truth to this belief? In all the time Atari has been talking (and talking, and talking) about their transputer system, I've only heard of *2* people who have them... One is Alan Page, who wrote FLASH... he's working with an ATW to produce high-quality color images from a video input... essentially it's like one of those booths you see at shopping malls where they make a T-shirt from a video shot of you, only this system can put your picture on a baseball card, or similar kinds of things... The other is someone from the University of Edinburgh on the net here (sorry] I can't remember your name right offhand..! :), whose department has several ATWs... Other than that, I've never heard of ANYONE using Atari Transputer Workstatio for anything... not here on UseNet, BitNet, ArpaNet, Janet, CompuServe, GEnie, Delphi, Fido, or anywhere else... While he was still with Atari Canada, Julius O.. used to talk about the ATW he had on his desk... nifty machine, but he had no software to run on it... BobR
ee86djg@cc.brunel.ac.uk (D J Gumbrell) (06/11/90)
In article <30644@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: [deletions] >In all the time Atari has been talking (and talking, and talking) about their >transputer system, I've only heard of *2* people who have them... [deletions] >Other than that, I've never heard of ANYONE using Atari Transputer Workstatio >for anything... not here on UseNet, BitNet, ArpaNet, Janet, CompuServe, >GEnie, Delphi, Fido, or anywhere else... [deletions] >BobR I read somewhere (probably ST World Mag) that the Kodak corp. were using an ATW for fancy graphics processing applications. ( Yet one more ATW user !) I also seem to remember someone posting an order of merit figure for the number of world-wide installed systems. Unfortunately I can't remember whether the figure was double or treble figures, but it was out of the singles ! ---------- Dave G.
rcdsdgx@dutrun.UUCP (Dik Groot) (06/13/90)
>In article <30644@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: >>In all the time Atari has been talking (and talking, and talking) about their >>transputer system, I've only heard of *2* people who have them... >[deletions] >>Other than that, I've never heard of ANYONE using Atari Transputer Workstatio >>for anything... not here on UseNet, BitNet, ArpaNet, Janet, CompuServe, >>GEnie, Delphi, Fido, or anywhere else... >>BobR I'm using 2 ATWs (coupled), each with 9 T800's. I'm using it for graphical applications, in which 24 bitplanes are needed. DikGroot, Delft UofT, Netherlands. -- { - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - disclaimer : I usually lie. } Dik Groot, Delft University of Technology, Rekencentrum, DUneT. Postbox 354, 2600 AJ Delft. ptt: (31)-15-781938 fax: (31)-15-786522 RCDSDGX@HDETUD1.BITNET rcdsdgx@dutrun.tudelft.nl
Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (06/14/90)
Dik Groot writes: >I'm using 2 ATWs (coupled), each with 9 T800's. I'm using it for graphical >applications, in which 24 bitplanes are needed. I was hoping this would generate some more reports of real people actually using the ATW... so far that makes three people in the real world with ATWs... BobR
chad@norge.enet.dec.com (Chad Leigh) (06/14/90)
> Dik Groot writes: > >I'm using 2 ATWs (coupled), each with 9 T800's. I'm using it for graphical > >applications, in which 24 bitplanes are needed. > > I was hoping this would generate some more reports of real people actually > using the ATW... so far that makes three people in the real world > with ATWs... > > BobR Come on Bob, get a clue! Just because you haven't heard of people using it doesn't mean they aren't out there! are you the official ATW registry service? Is this comp.sys.atari.ATW? Do people who have them want to spend there time hearing about measly ST belly-aches when they have a real machine to play with? (ie, what makes these people likely to (want to) read or post into comp.sys.atari.st?) For the record I read in a high end graphics oriented magazine *last* year that Atari had already installed more than 400 of the machines. With a specialty machine like the ATW that is a significant number. Now back to your regularly scheduled comp.sys.atari.st Chad chad@norge.enet.dec.com Vi elsker dette landet! ------------------------------------
D.C.Halliday@newcastle.ac.uk (D.C. Halliday) (06/15/90)
In article <30775@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: >Dik Groot writes: >>I'm using 2 ATWs (coupled), each with 9 T800's. I'm using it for graphical >>applications, in which 24 bitplanes are needed. > >I was hoping this would generate some more reports of real people actually >using the ATW... so far that makes three people in the real world >with ATWs... There are two mono ATW systems here for research on parallel processing. Dave H. (D.C.Halliday@newcastle.ac.uk)
Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (06/16/90)
Chad Leigh writes: >For the record I read in a high end graphics oriented >magazine *last* year that Atari had already installed >more than 400 of the machines. With a specialty machine >like the ATW that is a significant number. Well, for the record, I don't believe *ANY* of the numbers I see "published". Atari Corp told us all that they had 70,000 Lynxes to sell over the last Christmas season... that turned out to be a bald-faced, outright lie... at their stockholders' meeting, the true figure of 30,000 was revealed. I tend to believe reports from "real people" who actually have machines like the ATW in their hands. They have a lot less to gain by lying about things like "installed numbers"... ...and like I said, so far, on all of UseNet, Bitnet, CompuServe, etc, etc, only three people have mentioned having an ATW. If there were significant numbers, you'd think we'd have heard about a *few* more... At any rate, we're not talking about "super-cooled Crays"... it sure seems to me that for such a fantastic, world-shaking advancement in the art of computer science as Atari want us to believe the ABAQ, er.. ATW is, an installed base of 400 machines *worldwide* is pretty poor... BobR
buggs@cup.portal.com (William Edward JuneJr) (06/17/90)
>I'm using 2 ATWs (coupled), each with 9 T800's. I'm using it for graphical >applications, in which 24 bitplanes are needed. >>DikGroot, Delft UofT, Netherlands. > I'm guessin' this isn't the same as the 24 bit cards available for the Mac? Or is it? Ed <Really, I don't know or I wouldn't have asked> June
hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu) (06/17/90)
In article <30833@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: >Chad Leigh writes: >>For the record I read in a high end graphics oriented >>magazine *last* year that Atari had already installed >>more than 400 of the machines. With a specialty machine >>like the ATW that is a significant number. > >Well, for the record, I don't believe *ANY* of the numbers I see "published". Fair 'nuff... > >Atari Corp told us all that they had 70,000 Lynxes to sell over the last >Christmas season... that turned out to be a bald-faced, outright lie... >at their stockholders' meeting, the true figure of 30,000 was revealed. So send in a question about ATWs for the next stockholders' meeting. What's nagging about it on usenet gonna prove? > >I tend to believe reports from "real people" who actually have machines >like the ATW in their hands. They have a lot less to gain by lying about >things like "installed numbers"... Y'know, I don't see 30,000 posts in rec.games.video from people who own Lynxes, either. I guess that must mean that they haven't sold that many, eh? > >...and like I said, so far, on all of UseNet, Bitnet, CompuServe, etc, etc, >only three people have mentioned having an ATW. If there were significant >numbers, you'd think we'd have heard about a *few* more... Considering the number of Lynxes out there, and the incredibly fast rate at which they get sold, you'd also expect to see more than 4 or 5 people talk about 'em on the net. But you don't... I wonder why this is? Maybe, just maybe, the largest fraction of the world's population doesn't know about usenet, (egads! someone doesn't know about usenet???) or isn't connected in any way... [An anecdote... Lynxes have multiplied like rabbits here at UM. People get them, show 'em to their friends, and their friends slaver for more. The College of Engineering's computer support group has been pretty thoroughly saturated, as has MacTechnics, the local Mac user group. (They're even so popular in the Mac group that they talked about starting a Lynx SIG within the regular group. And Mactechnics is probably one of the largest and most active Mac user groups around, with such die-hard Maclovers it'll make your head spin...)] > >At any rate, we're not talking about "super-cooled Crays"... it sure seems >to me that for such a fantastic, world-shaking advancement in the art of >computer science as Atari want us to believe the ABAQ, er.. ATW is, >an installed base of 400 machines *worldwide* is pretty poor... No, you're not talking Crays here, true. You're talking transputers, and parallel processing. Despite the current hoopla over non-Von Neumann style computer architectures, there really aren't that many people in the world doing serious work in the area, let alone *talking* about it. It's new and wonderful, and because it's still so relatively new, it's gonna be a long time before you see personal-computer style distribution. Too few people in the world actually understand how to work with a parallel-processing machine, or how to use one effectively. A Cray is mainly a fast scalar processor. Millions of people know how to program scalar machines. Vectorizing and parallelizing is a lot harder, just because the techniques are still being developed. > >BobR Geeze, Bob, you're beginning to sound just like that Christopher Mauritz dude. You should know by now that rabble-rousing on usenet doesn't do any good. If you've got suggestions or constructive criticisms, you should mail 'em to Atari. If you wanna ridicule or flame, got to alt.flame or something... -- -- Howard Chu @ University of Michigan ... the glass is always greener on the side ...