🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3266@umcp-cs.UUCP>, mark@umcp-cs.UUCP (Mark Weiser)
writes: 
> One problem with Suns as general time-sharing machines is
> relatively slow terminal i/o.  I believe I read a Sun spec which
> only promised 4800 baud continuous output (9600 baud input).

Systech "MTI-8" or "MTI-16" boards have been supported by Sun kernels
for a long time.  These are smart DMA comm boards which reduce the
overhead immensely.  Sun has recently (finally) started selling them,
so you don't have to go to Systech to get one.  (It took awhile
because they had to design and build some backpanels for the serial
connectors and such.)

Sun specs the CPU board serial ports at 19200 baud output and 9600
baud continuous input, but it costs an interrupt per character.  This
is true of both Sun-2's and Sun-3's.

> One the other hand, we routinely use Suns here with 1 or 2
> terminals in addition to the hi-res console.  This is how faculty
> (who mostly have the suns) get extra terminals to their students
> (who mostly don't).

Note that in a week, this privilege will cost new buyers $2000.
Check the fine print in the latest price list.
-- 
John Gilmore  {sun,ptsfa,lll-crg,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu
              jgilmore@lll-crg.arpa