sjm@ohsuhcx.ohsu.edu (Sandra McMaster) (01/12/90)
-------------------------- Disclaimer --------------------------
I tried posting this several days ago and things appeared to work
However, I never received the posting and I've seen no responses
so I'll try again. I apologize for any duplication.
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Does anyone have experience with products which allow DOS workstations
to behave like an X-terminal? Is it worth trying or should I just
buy the X-terminal or graphics workstation (SUN, DEC, etc.)?
The primary application will be CASE. I'm knowledgeable in CASE but
a novice to X. I've used a SUN workstation on a couple of occasions
and that's it. Although I will be the initial user of these tools, I will
need to make the CASE tools/data readily accessible to 10-15 other individuals
who will be able to connect via a network. Most have DOS based workstations.
A few already have graphics workstations.
Any and all advice/suggestions/ideas will be greatly appreciated!
I'll post a summary if there is any interest.
Thanks!
Sandra McMaster
sjm@ohsu.edu
{nosun, tektronix, ogicse, qiclab}!ohsuhcx!sjmbuckaroo@attctc.dallas.tx.us (Dave Williams) (01/14/90)
I'm looking into a similar concept for casual users (engineering managers) of
mechanical CAE/CAE systems. I have GSS PC-Xview 1.2 running on a 20 Mhz '386
box with 8 Meg RAM , a 140 Meg H.D., and a DGIS graphics controller with a
res. of 1024 X 768 (NEC 1024). Performance is very good compared with a 386i
Sun acting as the display server (thats the end where you sit watching the
pictures, as the server/client relationship is inverted in X) and our net
traffic levels. Here is a short list of the pros and cons as I see them now:
pros:
+ If you alredy have a *fast* dos machine, you may be able to turn it into
a decent Xterminal if it has at least 2 Mb RAM with the addition of a
*good* ethernet board (I use Excelan 205's) and some high end graphics
board.
+ If you don't require shaded images (256 concurrent colors displayed) then
a VGA will probably suffice, though I prefer the DGIS solution for memory
management reasons.
- I have had *all kinds* of trouble getting Sun OpenWindows 1.00 (their Open
Look X11/NeWS release) to run across the net on my dos display server.
Not fixed yet. This brings up all sorts of ugly questions about specific
cursor fonts, text fonts, etc...
- If you don't use one of the products that use "dos extenders" for a PC
based server (the GSS 1.2 uses dos/16m) then you *will* be disapointed
with the limitations.
I would like to hear more about your other responses and any experiences you
have in the future. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss this more.
regards
Dave Williams
buckaroo@attctc.Dallas.tx.us
"Where are we going? PLANET X!! When we gonna get there? REAL SOON!!!"
Dr. Emilio Lazardo