owned an indigo2 for a while, nice r10000 mips. nice having a 64-bit cpu and operating system back in 1999. well designed too.
Indigo2 was a great machine for 1993 vintage. I think the R10000 CPU was added in 1995. They were cheap to be had in the used market in 1997 when the Octane replaced it.
the problem with sgi is that it's been living in the year 1995 since 1990
Perfectly said, chap!
SGI and Open Source / Open Standards
on
SGI Faces Bankruptcy
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· Score: 3, Informative
IRIX was left for dead, erm, SGI was left for dead
on
SGI Faces Bankruptcy
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· Score: 3, Informative
IRIX *was* way ahead of its time, back in 1995. It had some security issues, but they were eventually fixed too. But that's it folks, aside from new hardware support, IRIX has hasn't had many updates since it recieved the IndigoMagicDesktop and 64-bit support about 10 years ago.
SGI's MIPS hardware went on a similar path. The fastest SGI MIPS CPUs available today are 800 MHz and 1 GHz (and maybe 900 MHz?) these are called R16K but are based on the oldschool R12K design. Still very impressive in terms of performance per MHz and performance per watt, but they are far away from UltraSPARC III, Power5, and even PowerPC and Intel Pentium. The same can be said for SGI's graphics hardware, they lost their competitive advantage over the past ten years to the point where they just started using a bunch of ATI FireGL GPUs instead.
What's their future? Itanium2 and SuSE???
SGI has treated its largest customers well over the years, but those who buy less than $5 million of SGI gear a year have basiclly gotten the finger. Those who buy less than $100 thousand a year aren't even recognized.
Sure, SGI still has some good technology, like OpenGL Performer (which is perfect for multi-GPU simulators and can run on Windows and Linux, thankfully!!) but for the most part, the company is a has-been.
So SGI is about to tank. Does this surprise anyone? I think the only surprise is that SGI has remained in business for the past 10 years.
This is nothing new... the original SpaceBall is almost 15 years old, as are Dials and Buttons:
http://www.reputable.com/~skywriter/twintower/00DA NDB.jpg
*Very* handy when working on 2D CAD or 3D models all day long. Too bad most modern software is only SpaceBall aware these days.
nothing new... DIALS AND BUTTONS!!@
on
Two-Fisted Computing
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Basiclly two panels... one covered with programmable buttons, the other with programable knobs. These, plus a SpaceBall, and you really didn't need to spent much time using the keyboard. I see that Magellan/Logitech still sells Spaceballs--they're sure neat, especially when using an app that supports two-handed modeling... one hand "holds" and moves the 3D model (usually in wireframe mode) with the 3D spaceball, while the other hand uses the mouse to work on the wireframe itself.
When the toaster came out it was a wonderful replacement for aging, expensive monster mixers and effects boxes. In fact, when it came out it's closest competition was nearly $50,000. Toaster had the huge advantage of being a totally new system using new ideas and new techniques. It wasn't as powerful or as capable as a true non-linear editing system or field-accurate paintbox machine... but it didn't cost nearly as much as one either.
Lightwave and the frame painter were very popular for film and print media, but they were not dependant upon the VideoToaster at all. You could use them with a VideoToaster if you wanted easier access to TV resolution video... but it was not required nor heavily integrated. In fact, Lightwave was also available for much beefier SGI hardware back then as well.
NewTek had lots of great products, including the VideoToaster. But the VideoToaster itself was not magic do-all, do-anything fairy wand.
Softimage and Lightwave were popular 3D modelers back then (before 3D Studio and Maya took the world by storm). The original VideoToaster (the one in question) was a fancy computer-controlled video mixer / switch that lived on a card inside an Amiga. It was only TV resolution (NTSC / PAL) and was very linear. To mix video you needed two source decks and a record deck. It was only able to capture a single frame at a time. The only way to do "realtime" effects or anything resembling modern random-access non-linear editing was to use serial-controlled frame-accurate video decks that could pause and record single frames at a time. (This was also common in the Mac world back then, folks would use a frame-accurate recorder to record frames of animation from StrataStudioPro, Infini-D, or other 3D modelers as they were rendered).
I believe it was used for the onscreen displays - where the girl says 'this is a unix system, we have these at school' and it's a 3D maze type user interface etc.
That's Silicon Graphic's FSN (fusion) file manager from the late 1980s. http://www.sgi.com/fun/freeware/3d_navigator.html. There's also a modern clone of it somewhere.
How about this Blue Video "Toaster".:)
http://www.schrotthal.de/sgi/o2/
OK, so it's not a VideoToaster, but with a large drive or two and Discreet Effect or Flame, it can blow the doors off of any real VideoToaster
Seaquest used Lightwave, a 3D package from NewTek, for its CG effects. The Video Toaster was a combination of hardware and software, also from NewTek, for doing fancy computer-controlled video switching and mixing ("blue screen" chroma key, wipes/fades/disolves, graphics mixing, etc) in real-time via two or three tape decks... one or two for source, one for recording.
Seaquest probably used the Toaster to mix the graphics with the video... but the 3D effects themselves were done in Lightwave. The Video Toaster is not a magical fairy wand that can do everything... it's just a computer-controlled video mixer / switch.
You can't even begin to compare Discreet's software to the original Toaster (or any toaster). The Toaster was basiclly a fancy video mixer controlled by an amiga. It was totally linear video (meaning you had to have a source deck and a record deck) it couldn't even capture video clips.
NewTek later made "Toaster" software for Windows, which is pretty much in the same ballpark as editing/effects packages from Avid, Adobe, and Apple.
This article refers to the original Amiga VideoToaster... which is basiclly a 68030 Amiga with a fancy linear video i/o board and some software for basic effects. It could capture single frames, but it couldn't even digitize a clip. It was basiclly a fancy video switch / mixer. In fact, the Toaster didn't even do ful 640x480, it was a bit less than that. OK for UHF broadcast though.
http://www.atv.net/images/Products/toaster.gif
There is no way this was used for film work. Especially when ILM had a building full of SGI workstations and servers.
So I can install BeOS on my computer instead of Windows ME?
Can I run Half-Life: Counterstrike,
Winamp
Internet Explorer?
Those are the only programs I use.
Thanks
Is there an IRIX version of either Mozilla 1.4 or Netscape 7.1 (as they use basicly the same code base)? I see that there are some links to some older builds of 1.4 and to a nightly build from May, but I can't seem to find 1.4 final.
Would be nice to run the latest browser on my cheap "ebay special" Octane.
Mozilla "Classic" isn't dead yet / other comments
on
Mozilla 1.4 RC1
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· Score: 5, Informative
There's been a lot of discussion about how Mozilla 1.4 will the be the last version in it's current form, as Mozilla 1.5/2.0 will be based on Firebird...
Keep in mind that one of the goals for 1.4 is to replace 1.0.x (currently 1.0.2) as the stable distribution version. So while future versions will have drastic changes to the GUI framework, 1.4 will live on with small fixes for those that aren't needing or wanting the very cutting edge. Just as there are many current unix and linux distributors shipping 1.0.2 today, there will be many shipping 1.4.x a year from now.
As for the version number discussion, my vote is to call the next version 1.5... I think the version 2.0 title should be reserved for a refined, heavily tested version of Firebird. Much like the extensive testing that went into the current flavor of Mozilla before 1.0 was released.
Maybe I just don't like version number bloat...
Btw... why is RC1 announced on slashdot? wouldn't it make more sense to kick their ftp servers in the nuts when 1.4 is finalised?
1.4 will be replacing 1.02 as the stable version of Mozilla. The team would like as many people as possible to pound away on this build to look for any remaining showstopper bugs before the final release of 1.4 is pushed out.
Re:IRIX version information?
on
Mozilla 1.4 RC1
·
· Score: 1
That would be kinda handy, especially for all the folks snatching up O2s and Octanes off ebay.
Though, I have to admit, I keep thinking about http://www.nekochan.net when IRIX comes up. Seems like most SGI users are a weird blend of engineer and artist. Take a look at the IRIX dekstop screenshot gallery section on that site to see what I mean!
Slashdot Mirror
owned an indigo2 for a while, nice r10000 mips. nice having a 64-bit cpu and operating system back in 1999. well designed too. Indigo2 was a great machine for 1993 vintage. I think the R10000 CPU was added in 1995. They were cheap to be had in the used market in 1997 when the Octane replaced it. the problem with sgi is that it's been living in the year 1995 since 1990 Perfectly said, chap!
Gave Linux XFS Scaled Linux beyond 32 CPUs In regards to OpenGL vs Direct 3D, I have heard that D3D has gotten way better since Carmack made those comments. HOWEVER, it's still just Microsoft that controls all of DirectX. But just look at the orgs and people that are on the OpenGL board, even their emails addresses are public: http://www.opengl.org/about/arb/overview.html http://www.opengl.org/about/arb/notes/meeting_note _2004-12-07.html
IRIX *was* way ahead of its time, back in 1995. It had some security issues, but they were eventually fixed too. But that's it folks, aside from new hardware support, IRIX has hasn't had many updates since it recieved the IndigoMagicDesktop and 64-bit support about 10 years ago.
SGI's MIPS hardware went on a similar path. The fastest SGI MIPS CPUs available today are 800 MHz and 1 GHz (and maybe 900 MHz?) these are called R16K but are based on the oldschool R12K design. Still very impressive in terms of performance per MHz and performance per watt, but they are far away from UltraSPARC III, Power5, and even PowerPC and Intel Pentium. The same can be said for SGI's graphics hardware, they lost their competitive advantage over the past ten years to the point where they just started using a bunch of ATI FireGL GPUs instead.
What's their future? Itanium2 and SuSE???
SGI has treated its largest customers well over the years, but those who buy less than $5 million of SGI gear a year have basiclly gotten the finger. Those who buy less than $100 thousand a year aren't even recognized.
Sure, SGI still has some good technology, like OpenGL Performer (which is perfect for multi-GPU simulators and can run on Windows and Linux, thankfully!!) but for the most part, the company is a has-been.
So SGI is about to tank. Does this surprise anyone? I think the only surprise is that SGI has remained in business for the past 10 years.
This is nothing new... the original SpaceBall is almost 15 years old, as are Dials and Buttons: http://www.reputable.com/~skywriter/twintower/00DA NDB.jpg
*Very* handy when working on 2D CAD or 3D models all day long. Too bad most modern software is only SpaceBall aware these days.
The "new" SpaceTraveler knob reminds me of the "dials and buttons" that SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc) used to sell with their workstations years ago:i als-and-buttons.jpg
http://www.rrzn.uni-hannover.de/Grafik/sgi/onyx/d
Basiclly two panels... one covered with programmable buttons, the other with programable knobs. These, plus a SpaceBall, and you really didn't need to spent much time using the keyboard. I see that Magellan/Logitech still sells Spaceballs--they're sure neat, especially when using an app that supports two-handed modeling... one hand "holds" and moves the 3D model (usually in wireframe mode) with the 3D spaceball, while the other hand uses the mouse to work on the wireframe itself.
When the toaster came out it was a wonderful replacement for aging, expensive monster mixers and effects boxes. In fact, when it came out it's closest competition was nearly $50,000. Toaster had the huge advantage of being a totally new system using new ideas and new techniques. It wasn't as powerful or as capable as a true non-linear editing system or field-accurate paintbox machine... but it didn't cost nearly as much as one either.
Lightwave and the frame painter were very popular for film and print media, but they were not dependant upon the VideoToaster at all. You could use them with a VideoToaster if you wanted easier access to TV resolution video... but it was not required nor heavily integrated. In fact, Lightwave was also available for much beefier SGI hardware back then as well. NewTek had lots of great products, including the VideoToaster. But the VideoToaster itself was not magic do-all, do-anything fairy wand.
Softimage and Lightwave were popular 3D modelers back then (before 3D Studio and Maya took the world by storm). The original VideoToaster (the one in question) was a fancy computer-controlled video mixer / switch that lived on a card inside an Amiga. It was only TV resolution (NTSC / PAL) and was very linear. To mix video you needed two source decks and a record deck. It was only able to capture a single frame at a time. The only way to do "realtime" effects or anything resembling modern random-access non-linear editing was to use serial-controlled frame-accurate video decks that could pause and record single frames at a time. (This was also common in the Mac world back then, folks would use a frame-accurate recorder to record frames of animation from StrataStudioPro, Infini-D, or other 3D modelers as they were rendered).
I believe it was used for the onscreen displays - where the girl says 'this is a unix system, we have these at school' and it's a 3D maze type user interface etc.. There's also a modern clone of it somewhere.
That's Silicon Graphic's FSN (fusion) file manager from the late 1980s. http://www.sgi.com/fun/freeware/3d_navigator.html
How about this Blue Video "Toaster". :)
http://www.schrotthal.de/sgi/o2/
OK, so it's not a VideoToaster, but with a large drive or two and Discreet Effect or Flame, it can blow the doors off of any real VideoToaster
Seaquest used Lightwave, a 3D package from NewTek, for its CG effects. The Video Toaster was a combination of hardware and software, also from NewTek, for doing fancy computer-controlled video switching and mixing ("blue screen" chroma key, wipes/fades/disolves, graphics mixing, etc) in real-time via two or three tape decks... one or two for source, one for recording. Seaquest probably used the Toaster to mix the graphics with the video... but the 3D effects themselves were done in Lightwave. The Video Toaster is not a magical fairy wand that can do everything... it's just a computer-controlled video mixer / switch.
You can't even begin to compare Discreet's software to the original Toaster (or any toaster). The Toaster was basiclly a fancy video mixer controlled by an amiga. It was totally linear video (meaning you had to have a source deck and a record deck) it couldn't even capture video clips. NewTek later made "Toaster" software for Windows, which is pretty much in the same ballpark as editing/effects packages from Avid, Adobe, and Apple.
This article refers to the original Amiga VideoToaster... which is basiclly a 68030 Amiga with a fancy linear video i/o board and some software for basic effects. It could capture single frames, but it couldn't even digitize a clip. It was basiclly a fancy video switch / mixer. In fact, the Toaster didn't even do ful 640x480, it was a bit less than that. OK for UHF broadcast though. http://www.atv.net/images/Products/toaster.gif There is no way this was used for film work. Especially when ILM had a building full of SGI workstations and servers.
I think it's a pretty cool link. And first non-dumbass post!
I, for one, welcome our VoIP overlords!
Who needs this type of technology?
Shit, we've had all we need to watch the drawings on our paper move around since 1938!
Turn on, tune in, drop out!
So I can install BeOS on my computer instead of Windows ME? Can I run Half-Life: Counterstrike, Winamp Internet Explorer? Those are the only programs I use. Thanks
Does BeOS run on Windows ME? It sounds like a fairly interesting program.
It's a dupe! It's a dupe I tell you! Twice on the same day! C'mon Slashdot!
Is there an IRIX version of either Mozilla 1.4 or Netscape 7.1 (as they use basicly the same code base)? I see that there are some links to some older builds of 1.4 and to a nightly build from May, but I can't seem to find 1.4 final. Would be nice to run the latest browser on my cheap "ebay special" Octane.
There's been a lot of discussion about how Mozilla 1.4 will the be the last version in it's current form, as Mozilla 1.5/2.0 will be based on Firebird... Keep in mind that one of the goals for 1.4 is to replace 1.0.x (currently 1.0.2) as the stable distribution version. So while future versions will have drastic changes to the GUI framework, 1.4 will live on with small fixes for those that aren't needing or wanting the very cutting edge. Just as there are many current unix and linux distributors shipping 1.0.2 today, there will be many shipping 1.4.x a year from now. As for the version number discussion, my vote is to call the next version 1.5... I think the version 2.0 title should be reserved for a refined, heavily tested version of Firebird. Much like the extensive testing that went into the current flavor of Mozilla before 1.0 was released. Maybe I just don't like version number bloat...
Btw... why is RC1 announced on slashdot? wouldn't it make more sense to kick their ftp servers in the nuts when 1.4 is finalised? 1.4 will be replacing 1.02 as the stable version of Mozilla. The team would like as many people as possible to pound away on this build to look for any remaining showstopper bugs before the final release of 1.4 is pushed out.
That would be kinda handy, especially for all the folks snatching up O2s and Octanes off ebay. Though, I have to admit, I keep thinking about http://www.nekochan.net when IRIX comes up. Seems like most SGI users are a weird blend of engineer and artist. Take a look at the IRIX dekstop screenshot gallery section on that site to see what I mean!
(With apologies to Krusty the Clown) Floppy shoes and rainbow wigs everywhere!! It was awful!!!