XTerms + DEC stuff + misc available (Cambridge, UK)

From: auryn_at_gci-net.com <(auryn_at_gci-net.com)>
Date: Fri Jul 2 15:04:00 2004

On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 19:04:43 +0000
 Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk_at_yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On Thu, 2004-07-01 at 16:56, Rob O'Donnell wrote:
> > At 17:13 01/07/2004, you wrote:
>
> > Well no worries if they are no good
>
> waiting to hear back at the mo re. keyboards /
> displays...
>
> > (someone else mentioned software is needed??
>
> They need a boot image on the server. For my NCD 88k one
> this is about
> 1.5MB from memory (I have a copy somewhere!) and is

The 19c (*an* 88K model) images run from ~2M to ~6M,
depending on the features compiled into the image.

> transferred using
> TFTP to the Xterm on startup.

Depending on how you have the terminal configured, you may
also need to set up BOOTP (later boot monitors also support
DHCP -- but don't count on it!) and probably NFS to serve
up configuration files (unless you want to treat them as
R/O and rely on TFTP for those). Likewise, xfs comes in
handy (though you can serve up the fonts via TFTP or
NFS, as well -- depends on how many terminals you are
running, how many fonts you support, etc.)

> All the NCD boot files were readily
> available a few years ago for sure, although I've no idea
> about Xterms from other vendors.

You can probably scrounge a copy from some non-NCD site.
NCD still sells NCDware for ~$350 a copy -- despite the
fact that it hasn't been supported for *many* years.
 
> > I've never played with an x-term, so was just something
> else ot
> > put in the pile of "cool things I should play with
> someday when I have
> > infinate time" !
>
> Ha ha! They are pretty cool to play around with - as
> mentioned it was
> really the sound situation which stopped me seriously
> using mine in the
> last few years (that and only 8 bit colour)

I have 8 of them here -- half monochrome, half color.
They are a win for letting me access the same set of
servers regardless of where I am located in the house.
Some are in the "office", another in the work-room,
another on the back porch, another supports my PBX
and server farm, another for my "other half" to use
to view JPEGs while painting, etc.

Sound has never been an issue here. That's what the
HiFi is for! :>

[snip]

> > [ Cub screen wall ]
> > Sounds good :-) Why not do some simple games too?
> Something as basic as
> > 'pong' should be easy?
>
> hmm, now that's an interesting idea. Wonder how well it'd
> work in
> practice - there'd probably be about 1.5" of dead space
> between each
> screen, so I'm not sure if that'd make it feel odd or
> not. Worth a try,
> though :)

Pioneer makes (made?) a flat-faced (rear projection?)
screen specifically designed for end-to-end stacking.
I believe 1/4" gap exists between adjacent images.
Also, the sets include signal processing hardware that
allows you to pipe a video signal (RS-170?) to the
"monitor bank" and each set will take it's "slice"
of the video stream out and scale it to fit the display.

Of course, computer generated video doesn't *need*
this luxury... split the signal in software and run
it out N video cards :-/

Hmmm... I can't recall if the monitors are 4:3 or 9:4,
though...

Regardless, probably way too rich for your budget? ;-)

--don
Received on Fri Jul 02 2004 - 15:04:00 BST