Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
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From: simon@rheged.dircon.co.uk (Simon Brooke)
Subject: Re: Modern Workstations -vs- Old Lisp Machines
Message-ID: <D581xq.6oL@rheged.dircon.co.uk>
Organization: none. Disorganization: total.
References: <D50ADr.L8r@news2.new-york.net>
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 11:15:25 GMT
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In article <D50ADr.L8r@news2.new-york.net>,
Michael J. Ferrador N2KRA <n2kra@starcomm.overleaf.com> wrote:
>   How do Modern (300Mhz Alpha, and 100Mhz 601,R4X00,Pentium) machines
>compare with Classic Lisp Workstations? Are there any modern 0.5 micron
>100Mhz revamps of Lisp Processors?
>
>   What other Lisp Workstations were there, I'm only heard of Symbolics
>and TI Explorer.

Someone else has already mentioned LMI, so I won't repeat it...

There was also the Xerox 1100 series (1108 Dandelion, 1109 Dandetiger
(don't ask), 1132 Dorado and later 1186 Daybreak). These machines ran
Interlisp-D; the 1108 and later 1186 were substantially cheaper than
the Symbolics/TI/LMI machines, and consequently sold rather better at
least this side of the pond.

The 1108 had 4Mb core (don't know what it could be expanded to), 80Mb
disk, and a megapixel mono head about 20" diagonal. It was claimed to
run 2 MIPS, and my memory of it was that you got the same sort of
reponsiveness as from roughly a 386dx40 running Windows. Until it
started to swap, that it. When it started to swap it ran like treacle.

The 1186 fundamentally replaced the 1108. It was about twice as fast,
had a slightly bigger (and much better) screen, and was a lot cheaper.
It could in principle be expanded to 16Mb core, and would have run a
lot better with that, but I never used one which had been expanded.
Both machines were seriously nice development tools, because the
Interlisp-D system was incredibly easy to work with and to develop
complex systems quickly. In particular, the LOOPS system really did
make software re-use trivial. 

I believe the Dorado was a machine to drool over, but I guess they
liked to keep them clean because I never got near one :-}

A derivative of Interlisp-D (now called Medley) is available for Intel
architecture, including a Common LISP compiler integrated with the
Interlisp system. On a good 486 with plenty of core this should be a
marvelous tool; I confess I haven't tried it, because I don't use
Intel machines at home and I haven't persuaded my employers that it
would be of value to them :-(.



-- 
------- simon@rheged.dircon.co.uk (Simon Brooke)

	'there are no solutions, only precipitates'

	
