carlos@tybalt.caltech.edu (Carlos Salinas) (08/14/89)
The terminal/computer concept of computing would have worked great with the NeXT. In this scenario, the MegaPixel display contains all hardware and soft- ware necessary to operate as a standalone Window Server. All keyboard and mouse events would be handled by the display. The display would also manage windows and communicate the users actions to the NeXT via Ethernet (or some other suitable communication protocol). Meanwhile the NeXT would be handling mundane chores such as memory management, number crunching, and program execution (excluding the interface code of course). The display could have optional connections for printer interfaces, SCSI ports for drives, etc.. At most it could be a NeXT :), however in its minimal configuration it should just be a standalone Window Server. Users could purchase MegaPixel displays and login over the net, organizations could buy a NeXT and attach several MegaPixels to it. The response time would be greatly improved, and display upgrades wouldn't condemn valuable CPU acreage to disuse (not to mention expensive monitors). Oh well, too late for this machine, maybe the next com- puter will adopt these ideas. Carlos Salinas Disclaimer: If above exists, where can I get one?