🚀 go-pugleaf

In aus.computers.linux on Sun, 16 Aug 1998 14:32:56 +1000
James Wilson <jamesw@nsw.bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>Hi all,
>    I have just been given an SGI IRIS Indigo XS. My knowlege of SGIs is
>limitied. The tower has only a 480mb HDD inside but I have an external
>2gb SCSI HDD and CDROM I can attach to it. The unit doesnt appear to
>have a floppy drive of any sort.
>
>    Where can i get hold of a copy of IRIX and whatever else software I
>need to put on it?

From SGI.  For real money.  There is no free OS I am aware of that runs
on SGI.
>
>    Any information you can provide me with would be much appreciated.
>Also, how much are these machines worth?

Hmm.. I'm not that familiar with Indigo stuff despite having adminned
the things for a year or two.  I just got them going, I wasn't
involved in buying them.

Indigos were always an expensive thing.  Without software it's only
worth what someone will pay you for it as a parts machine.  Which 
shouldn't be zneezed at as an option, if you can find someone who has
the model you have.  Parts are hideously expensive.

Try ringing SGI and say you got one, and is there a chance of you
being given an old copy of IRIX?  Stranger things have happened.
Usually it's better to find someone with an SGI maintenance contract
and get an old CD off them :)

If you do find a copy of IRIX, next thing is to haunt the
SGI newsgroups will you see the FAQ (or try ftp.info.au) so
you can locate the SGI download site.  That should have an Irix-ified
copy of GCC< which is usuable but only just.  I never had
much luck with GCC< had to buy SGI's C.

If you wanna do multimedia stuff or intensive grpahics development, they
are good.  If you wanna do "normal Unix", they are a right pain.

Zebee

----
SAGE-AU: The System Administrator's Guild. www.sage-au.org.au
  To advance the profession of System Administration by raising 
  awareness of the need for System Administrators, and educating 
  System Administrators in technical as well as professional issues.