zyda@NPS-CS.ARPA (michael zyda) (03/18/88)
I have had IRISes continuously since Oct 1984. I have also had a lot of other manufacturers' graphics systems. Hardware-wise, the IRIS has been about as reliable as the other systems. We did find that the IRIS-2400, IRIS-2400 Turbo and IRIS-3120 systems do require air conditioning and a clean room. We used to run them in an office environment and had a down on 1 system per month (with 3 systems in the room). We moved them to the air conditioned room and they have been up with only one down in the year since. Our 4D/70G was turned on at New Years and has had no hardware problems (knock on wood). We put our old buttons and dials on the system after making the right cable and table entries. Most everything works fine. There are obvious software problems that will probably be fixed in the next release. Such problems are typical of leading edge graphics hardware. The IRIS-3120 is relatively mature compared to the 4D and most problems have been worked out. People with "work to get done" will be very impatient with the 4D. People with leading edge things to try out will have fun with the 4D. A year from now, you can expect the 4D to be "better/more reliable". But at that time, there will be a newer, faster, better piece of graphics hardware. It will also require patience. Our mode of operation: air conditioned and clean room for the IRISes and full maintenance. Volumes of patience and lots of fun. Michael Zyda