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Domain: sunstuff.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to sunstuff.org.

Comments · 8

  1. Re:Eh by Lazy+Jones · · Score: 1 · on Comparing Today's Computers To 1995's

    Either you weren't around back then or you are too young to remember but...

    Both wrong.

    The lavish 33MHz and 8MB RAM (compared to the older generations of 16 bitters and 8 bitters) allowed lazy programmers to write such terrible algorithms and waste vast numbers of cycles on interpretd languaes like Visual Basic etc etc. My god, I mean windows 95 wasted so much CPU just to look a bit prettier. Real programmers still did everything in DOS.

    In 1994 I still used my Atari Mega STe every day as well as a SPARCstation IPC running SunOS and later NetBSD. In 1996 I switched to Linux on a PC, which had none of that bloated feeling Windows 3.11 and later 95 exhibited. I recall that while VB was widely used on Windows, none of the everyday tasks involved it directly (email, editing, programming). We used (fast!) native code email clients and IDEs on Windows that felt faster than Eclipse and Thunderbird today. I would still use Linux on a desktop PC, but the non-bloated options for everyday tasks have been greatly reduced, so it doesn't seem worth the hassle.

    Many algorithms have got much, much faster.

    Examples please. "

  2. Re:Great news! by exhilaration · · Score: 1 · on IBM Doubles Rewards For Ditching Sun
    lol, me too - I have a Sparcstation IPC serving as a monitor stand.

    IBM, where's my $8,000???? I have a 25 Mhz CPU I'd like to trade in!

  3. Re:The same reason they were interested in linux. by MoxFulder · · Score: 1 · on IBM & Sun Agreement Puts Pressure on HP

    Actually, Linux from 2000 onward is taking more of Solaris' thunder in the development arena. License costs are cheaper, hardware is more prolific (and cheaper). But no one does development on AIX and ports to Solaris.

    When I worked at Parametric (CAD software), development was mostly done on SGI and Solaris, and then ported everywhere else. No one wanted to touch the IBM or HP hardware.

    Interesting. I've been in grad school and out of the industry loop since 2003 (hope to get back into it though...). I guess it's no surprise that Linux has taken over.

    I can understand why Sun hardware was preferred to AIX stuff, which I've loathed in my brief contact.

    I far preferred the SGI keyboards myself. :-) Hmmm, I've never seen an SGI keyboard. All the ones I find on Google Image Search look like standard PC 104-key keyboards. The Sun Type 5 keyboards have a block of 10 or so extra keys on the left, like this. Sometimes I *still* find myself reflexively reaching to the left for my Emacs shortcuts. I have a salvaged Type 5 board lying around somewhere, but sadly there's no easy way to hook it up to a normal USB/PS2 connector :'(
  4. Re:hooray for slashdot by dextromulous · · Score: 1 · on How Small a PC Is Too Small?

    Also, as a general point, having soft buttons that remap to specific key combinations is not a bad idea on an ultraportable - a single COPY button or PASTE key might be handy. Friggin' Linux zealots.

    I'm not sure what that last sentence was supposed to mean. The UNIX world has had access to keyboards with extra function keys (cut, copy, paste, and several others,) for decades.

  5. Re:Well, YEAH. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1 · on Is the x86 Architecture Less Secure?
    A 360 is an IBM. A 3/60 would be a Sun, I guess. Sun3 machines have either 68020 or 68030 (rare) processors. Searching on "Sun 360" doesn't turn anything up, but a 3/60 is a 20MHz 68020. 68xxx processors are somewhat RISCy, but they are not RISC.

    You may be able to upgrade a 3/60 to a 4/60 or something. I used to have a 3/260, and later upgraded it to a 4/260. AFAIK the machines take the same logic board. However, I'm pretty sure my 4/260 was not 25MHz. In fact a little research tells us that it ran a Weitek-made SPARC at 16.67MHz.

  6. Re:Well, YEAH. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1 · on Is the x86 Architecture Less Secure?
    A 360 is an IBM. A 3/60 would be a Sun, I guess. Sun3 machines have either 68020 or 68030 (rare) processors. Searching on "Sun 360" doesn't turn anything up, but a 3/60 is a 20MHz 68020. 68xxx processors are somewhat RISCy, but they are not RISC.

    You may be able to upgrade a 3/60 to a 4/60 or something. I used to have a 3/260, and later upgraded it to a 4/260. AFAIK the machines take the same logic board. However, I'm pretty sure my 4/260 was not 25MHz. In fact a little research tells us that it ran a Weitek-made SPARC at 16.67MHz.

  7. Re:OS X by Scarblac · · Score: 1 · on In Which OS Do You Feel More Productive?

    The deal is that in the 80's, when the GNU command line stuff was written, common Unix keyboards had the Control key on a better place, above the left shift (pic of some old Sun keyboard).

    Nowadays there exists the "Happy Hacker Keyboard", see layout here, which seems sensible. Need to try one once.

  8. Re:Actually NASA is borrowing cooling technology.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on NASA Set To Launch Probe To Mercury

    Well, you could do it if you wanted.