randy@oetl.UUCP (Randy O'Meara) (04/07/89)
There was mention of a *new* HP product called "Accellerated
X Window Display Server" for the Vectra and IBM compatibles
in another newsgroup. The article said that the product was
presented at UNIFORM by HP Canada. Can someone please tell
me how to contact that particular HP group? Email please.
--
_______________________________________________________________
< Randy O'Meara -- LMSC -- SCF >
< {pyramid,leadsv}!oetl!randy PHONE: (408) 425-6249 >
<_______________________________________________________________>ostroff@aramis.rutgers.edu (Jack H. Ostroff) (04/10/89)
Assuming this is the same product, I first heard about it over half a year ago. It's release was then indefinitely delayed, and I just heard last month the release would be "any day now." (only slight :-)) It apparently allows you to run XWindows on the PC talking to clients (or is that servers?) on Unix machines via a lan (such as ThinLan or StarLan). Anyone else heard anything more definite? (I skipped direct reply, since I have no info on HP Canada)
taylor@hplabsz.HP.COM (Dave Taylor) (04/10/89)
Jack H. Ostroff of Rutgers University asks: > Assuming this is the same product, I first heard about it over half a > year ago. It's release was then indefinitely delayed, and I just > heard last month the release would be "any day now." (only slight :-)) > It apparently allows you to run XWindows on the PC talking to clients > (or is that servers?) on Unix machines via a lan (such as ThinLan or > StarLan). The following is quoted directly from the HP Press Release: Release Date: March 14th, 1989 High Performance X Window Display Server Now Available For the PC Hewlett-Packard Company today announced HP AXDS/PC, an accelerate X Window System display server that gives personal computers high-performance network access to UNIX-system-based X Window Graphics applications. Together with HP's intelligent-graphics controller for industry- standard PCs, this new software accelerates graphics-application performance to 2 million instructions per second -- equivalent to the HP 9000 Model 330 workstation configured as an X Window System Server. Because the code is downloaded into the memory of the HP intelligent graphics controller, performance is not limited by the MS-DOS operating system or PC configuration. By comparison, most competing X server products are limited in performance since the X11 server code is implemented as an MS-DOS application. The display server, which is based on the industry-standard X Window System Version 11 Release 3, enables the PC user to have network access to both UNIX-based X Window System applications and MS-DOS office-automation applications. HP AXDS/PC requires an HP Vectra PC (or another PC based on industry standard architecture) with 640 Kbytes of RAM, the HP intelligent graphics controller, ThinkLAN or StarLAN 10 card and networking software, and one of a variety of high resolution color monitors. The HP AXDS/PC software has a U.S. list price of $500 and is expected to be available in the second quarter of 1989. ---- You might also contact a firm called Graphic Software Systems of Beaverton Oregon; they have a similar product called PC-Xview which looks very competitive. Finally, for completeness sake, Graph-On Corporation also has an X window system server for a PC, but it requires a Sun-3 or Sun-4 to, as they say, "run its X11 Window Server software"... ---- Contact information: Hewlett-Packard Sales Information (800) 752-0900 or HP Inquiries, 19310 Pruneridge Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014 Graphic Software Systems, Inc. (503) 641-2200 9590 SW Gemini Drive, Beaverton, OR 97005 Graph-On Corporation (408) 435-8400 1980 Concourse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131 ---- I hope this helps you in your quest for a PC-based X! -- Dave Taylor Intuitive Systems Los Altos, California Guest of HP Laboratories: taylor@hplabs.hp.com
diamant@hpfclp.SDE.HP.COM (John Diamant) (04/12/89)
> Assuming this is the same product, I first heard about it over half a > year ago. It's release was then indefinitely delayed, and I just > heard last month the release would be "any day now." (only slight :-)) > > Anyone else heard anything more definite? I don't believe this product is the same as what you heard about. This new product (described in the press release Dave Taylor posted) uses an accelerated graphics card. The one you heard about, I believe, was a more conventional implementation using the normal (slow) PC display cards. I do not have any information on that original version. John Diamant Software Engineering Systems Division Hewlett-Packard Co. ARPA Internet: diamant@hpfclp.sde.hp.com Fort Collins, CO UUCP: {hplabs,hpfcla}!hpfclp!diamant Disclaimer: While I am an HP employee, this is not an official statement of Hewlett-Packard Company. For official information, please see the press release and contact your local HP sales office.
lynch@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Tim Lynch) (04/14/89)
Can one run the newly announced graphics hardware in PC AT type machines other than Vectras?
taylor@limbo.intuitive.com (Dave Taylor) (04/15/89)
One other note about the X Terminal emulation softare for the
Vectra and IBM PC class machines; HP originally was working on a
product called "X/PC" which was intended to not require any special
hardware (e.g. the new accelerated graphics card). The project
moved all the way through the HP lifecycle and then, just days
after it was officially announced and released to customers, it
was pulled back off the price list. Why? The performance was
just unacceptably slow.
Sorry about not including that in my original article on this
subject.
Also, note that I have a new email address -- taylor@limbo.intuitive.com
-- for those of you that may be interested in contacting me.
Queries and comments welcomed,
-- Dave Taylor
Intuitive Systems
Los Altos, California {decwrl,apple} ! limbo!taylor
taylor%limbo@apple.com
taylor@limbo.intuitive.com or taylor%limbo@decwrl.dec.comhoops@watsnew.waterloo.edu (HOOPS Workshop) (04/19/89)
The previous product was called XPC, and was embarrassingly slow, hence it's cancellation. Yet there is an HP division here in Canada producing a product called AXDS/PC (Accelerated X Display System for Vectra and IBM AT computers. It does operate with a dedicated high res graphics card from HP, and therefore is much faster than XPC ever was. (Even maybe comparable to a low end UNIX machine?!?!?!?!)
jason@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Jason Su) (04/21/89)
X/PC being "embarassingly slow" is a matter of opinion. Although performance was a critical factor in the demise of X/PC, (lack of) capability and (expensive) cost played as much a part if not more. Original goals specified that X/PC would be HP's low cost "X" terminal. Unfortunately, the configured cost of a Vectra running X/PC was about the same as a low end S300 running discless. Our market audience was originally "managers" who would run two to three term clients to read their mail, etc. It wasn't until alpha/beta release when that idea was trashed. Everyone, including manager's want to run xtrek and every new whizzy application that comes along. As for practicality, I use my X/PC as a "terminal" into my S300 hub. I usually run uwm, one or two xterms and xload. Xterm reminds me of about a 2400-4800 baud terminal. Xterm does afford me with cut and paste, an advantage over my 2622 terminal. To summarize, it performs satisfactorily as a console to submit small jobs and report status. All in all, a 286 running 8mhz just doesn't have enough poop by itself to push all that data around. Cheers, Jay Su jason@hp-pcd
diamant@hpfclp.SDE.HP.COM (John Diamant) (04/21/89)
> Can one run the newly announced graphics hardware in PC AT type > machines other than Vectras? Yes, although I'm not sure what set are officially being tested and supported. Disclaimer: I am not speaking as an offical representative of HP. Contact an HP sales office for official information. John Diamant Software Engineering Systems Division Hewlett-Packard Co. ARPA Internet: diamant@hpfclp.sde.hp.com Fort Collins, CO UUCP: {hplabs,hpfcla}!hpfclp!diamant