#Insignia SoftWindows?
8 messages in this thread
More to add to the Alpha and other processor pyre 🙂 I know that some
of you don't like the beloved Windows or just Microsoft or probably
just Bill Gates (hey, Judy, read this! <g>). Well, there is me,
thinking in DOS, Windows, NT, OS/2, _Unix_ and, suddenly, someones
that I hate a lot more than Windows, Microsoft or Bill Gates (PC
MagaFanzine 🙂 comes with news about the new Insignia DOS and Windows
emulator that provides "486-like" performance in HP, Sun, DEC, IBM
and SGI unix workstations. Yeah, and I will win the Florida Lottery
next weekend! <g> But I read a little more and this intrigue me (of
course, not for my use, just for those of you who have five Silicon
Graphics and twelve Sun workstations running in a net, just for
playing with Virtual Reality –you know that I am talking about you,
Martin Foster!—) They claim that SoftWindows ensures compatibility
with future versions of Windows, support DDE, OLE, the entire PC
enviroment (CD, COM, LPTs, floppy, _video systems_, networks, etc..)
and will feel like Motif in future releases. And the question is: Are
they trying to make us to think that this thing actually runs in UNIX
and _WORKS_ (all at the same time)?
Just to get another ball rolling, ana /krazy images
>> (of course, not for my use, just for those of you who have five
Silicon Graphics and twelve Sun workstations running in a net, just
for playing with Virtual Reality –you know that I am talking about
you, Martin Foster!—) <<
Yeah right! I'm the original starving animator. You're talking about
Greg Pyros or Paul Lind, surely?
Have you send the "I want an Indy" mail card to get a full fleged
Indy? I have send a dozen! 🙂 You know, I want to install some video
conferencing here. I will put one on the bathroom, other in the
kitchen and other in the bedroom. Oh! And the blue color is sooooo
cute! (Is it Pantone 345-A, Focoltone 98c or Trumatch 25N7?) Also
loves the granite texture of the monitor… uahu! I will be IN with
these systems <g>
Ana,
>> Have you send the "I want an Indy" mail card to get a full fleged Indy? <<
no I haven't sent in the card, but I probably should.
Actually, Insignia does work pretty well – we have seen no crashing
problems with it on the Suns, the main disadvantage is that since it
has to do software emulation of the Intel chip, it can get a bit slow
at times. (Do you recognize an understatement when you read one?)
I think it is not the same program. I mean, there is another SoftPC who
emulates a 286. But this thing is something new (maybe). It seems that works
moreless the same wame as the SunSelect WABI (Windows App. Binary Interface?).
They claim top 486 performance (but maybe you must have a Crisom to do it 🙂
ana /krazy images
I believe that SoftPC is the same program you are referring to – one
of them may be an older version. I haven't tried the WABI yet, so
can't comment.
Greg Pyros [Pyros Partnership, Inc] 11-Dec-93 at 11:44a PST
I am not sure, Greg. The thing is actually very new, priced nearly
$600. They use a kind of DOS and Windows interface instead of trying
to emulate the chip. That is the reason what they are getting (or
claim to get) 486 performance. Regarding WABI, I don't know if there
is any actual product based on Sun's WABI. They claim that they will
put it in the next version of Solaris, but you won't be able to run
32bit Windows (4.0/NT). Seems like Insignia have the key to Windows
programs… just because they have Microsoft behind them. Probably
the same technology to be used on next NT upgrades (MIPS, Alpha,
whatever-they-put-it-in 🙂