2465 lines
54 KiB
HTML
2465 lines
54 KiB
HTML
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<HTML
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><HEAD
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><TITLE
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>What is a JavaStation?</TITLE
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><META
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NAME="GENERATOR"
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CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.63
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"><LINK
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REL="HOME"
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TITLE="Linux on the Sun JavaStation
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NC HOWTO"
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HREF="index.html"><LINK
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REL="PREVIOUS"
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TITLE="META Information"
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HREF="metainfochapter.html"><LINK
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REL="NEXT"
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TITLE="Background Requirements for Linux on a
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JavaStation"
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HREF="backgroundrequirementschapter.html"></HEAD
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><BODY
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CLASS="sect1"
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><DIV
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><TABLE
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COLSPAN="3"
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ALIGN="center"
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><SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>Linux</SPAN
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> on the <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>Sun JavaStation
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</SPAN
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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> HOWTO</TH
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></TR
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><TR
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><TD
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WIDTH="10%"
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ALIGN="left"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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><A
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HREF="metainfochapter.html"
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>Prev</A
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></TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="80%"
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ALIGN="center"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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></TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="10%"
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ALIGN="right"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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><A
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HREF="backgroundrequirementschapter.html"
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>Next</A
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><HR
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ALIGN="LEFT"
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WIDTH="100%"></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="sect1"
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><H1
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CLASS="sect1"
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><A
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NAME="WhatIsChapter"
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>2. What is a <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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>?</A
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></H1
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><P
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> This chapter explains to the reader what the <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation
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</SPAN
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> line is, its components, <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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> concepts,
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how to get one, and why one would choose the <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>Linux
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<SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>OS</SPAN
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></SPAN
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> for it.
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</P
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><DIV
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CLASS="sect2"
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><H2
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CLASS="sect2"
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><A
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NAME="WhatIsJavaStationSection"
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>2.1. What is a <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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>?</A
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></H2
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><P
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> The <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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> is a
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model line of network computers built and sold by
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<A
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HREF="http://www.sun.com"
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TARGET="_top"
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>Sun Microsystems</A
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> between
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November 1996 and March 2000. The <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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>
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line was Sun's low-cost terminal option during that timeframe. It
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was the marketed successor to the Xterminal 1 and is succeeeded by the
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SunRay, although all three machines are fundamentally different.
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</P
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><P
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> The <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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> hardware ran Sun's
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own <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>JavaOS</SPAN
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> and either Sun's <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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> Hotjava</SPAN
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> web browser, Sun's <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>HotJava Views
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</SPAN
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> task-manager software, or custom <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>Java
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</SPAN
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> applications of the customer's choice.
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</P
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><P
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> The <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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> was originally billed in
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November 1996 sneak previews as a low-cost desktop terminal,
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providing customers access to hot new <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>Java</SPAN
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>
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applications, <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"legacy"</SPAN
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>X</SPAN
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> applications,
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and <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"legacy"</SPAN
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>MS Windows</SPAN
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> apps.
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During its lifetime, The <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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>'s marketed
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functionality was changed twice from <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"desktop terminal"</SPAN
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> to
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<SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"single-app desktop device"</SPAN
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> to finally a <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"browser-based
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kiosk device"</SPAN
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>.
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</P
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><P
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> At no time did Sun market the <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation</SPAN
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> as
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capable of running its flagship
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<A
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HREF="http://www.sun.com/solaris"
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TARGET="_top"
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>Solaris</A
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> operating system
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the <A
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HREF="http://www.linux.com"
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TARGET="_top"
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>Linux OS</A
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>, or any other
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OS than Sun's JavaOS.
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="sect2"
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><H2
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CLASS="sect2"
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><A
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NAME="WhatIsNCSection"
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>2.2. Definition of an <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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> including the Differentiation
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from <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>PC</SPAN
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>'s</A
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></H2
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><P
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> A network computer, or <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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>, was hailed as
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"the next big thing" in computing from late 1995 to early 1998.
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Conventional <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>PC</SPAN
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>'s, called "fat clients", were
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expected to be minimized in businesses by thin-client
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<SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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>'s.
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</P
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><P
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> Thin-clients get their <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>OS</SPAN
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>, applications, and data
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files entirely through the network. They are different from
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dumb-terminals; they run full-scale graphical applications.
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Thin-clients are also different than graphical X-terminals.
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X-terminals typically run an X server and display the client programs of
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a remote server. Thin clients generally run full-scale graphical
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programs locally, such as a web browser, a <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>Java</SPAN
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>
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application, or a <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"legacy-connectivity program"</SPAN
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>, which enables
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the thin-client to display <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>X</SPAN
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> apps or
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<SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>MS Windows</SPAN
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> apps which run on more
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powerful servers.
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</P
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><P
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> Advantages of <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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>'s include:
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</P
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><P
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></P
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><UL
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><LI
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><P
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"Zero-Administration"</SPAN
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>. (Add a new <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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> and
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it will get <EM
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>everything</EM
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> it needs off the network,
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without an admin ever needing to visit it.)
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> Lower Total-Cost-of-Ownership (<SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>TCO</SPAN
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>) (No internal
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hard drives, floppy drives or <SPAN
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||
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CLASS="acronym"
|
||
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>CD</SPAN
|
||
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> players reduces
|
||
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form-factor, repair expenses, selling price and thus total-cost-of-ownership.)
|
||
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> Access to all web-based apps as well as <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
|
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>"legacy"</SPAN
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>X
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</SPAN
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> and <SPAN
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CLASS="application"
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>MS Windows</SPAN
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> apps.
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> Quick upgrades (just upgrade your server and the changes propogate throughout)
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> Longer lifespan (just upgrade the software, growing hard disk and memory
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requirements is not an issue)
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> Smaller <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>OS</SPAN
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> footprint (when running brower-based apps)
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</P
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></LI
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></UL
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><P
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> Disadvantages of <SPAN
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CLASS="acronym"
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>NC</SPAN
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>'s:
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</P
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><P
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></P
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><UL
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><LI
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><P
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> No local access to data files (all your files stored on a remote server)
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> Requires fast, stable networks
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> NC's generally have a low maximum amount of memory. Though not as bad
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as with fat-clients, this does eventually become a liability for the
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thin-client.
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</P
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></LI
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></UL
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="sect2"
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><H2
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CLASS="sect2"
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><A
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NAME="JavaStationModelsSection"
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>2.3. Description of the <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
|
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>JavaStation</SPAN
|
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> Model
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Line including Hardware Specs</A
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></H2
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><P
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> Depending on who you talk to, the number of <SPAN
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CLASS="productname"
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>JavaStation
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</SPAN
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> models that were created is anywhere from one to six.
|
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The descriptions below will explain why.
|
||
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</P
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><DIV
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CLASS="sect3"
|
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><H3
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CLASS="sect3"
|
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><A
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NAME="MrCoffeeDescSection"
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>2.3.1. <SPAN
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|
CLASS="productname"
|
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|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
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> [ <SPAN
|
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CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Mr. Coffee"</SPAN
|
||
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>]
|
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[<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"the brick"</SPAN
|
||
|
>] [Sun Option No. JJ-xx]</A
|
||
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></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
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> This model is the most prevalent <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
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> model
|
||
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you are likely to find, although it wasn't the one and only
|
||
|
<EM
|
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><SPAN
|
||
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CLASS="productname"
|
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>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
></EM
|
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|
> model Sun wished
|
||
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to sell to the public. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> was the
|
||
|
first generation <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>, released in
|
||
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November 1996 to pilot deployments as Sun's <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"proof of concept"</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
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of the Java <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
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> design.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Hardware-wise, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> is a
|
||
|
Sun4M architecture machine. It is based on the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>SPARCStation-4
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> design, with some deletions and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
>-like
|
||
|
modifications. It is powered by a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>110 Mhz MicroSPARC IIe
|
||
|
CPU</SPAN
|
||
|
> and has no <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>SCSI</SPAN
|
||
|
>, <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>internal disks
|
||
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</SPAN
|
||
|
>, <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>floppy</SPAN
|
||
|
>, <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>CD</SPAN
|
||
|
> or
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>expansion slots</SPAN
|
||
|
>. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Mr. Coffee
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>motherboard</SPAN
|
||
|
> is Sun Part
|
||
|
No. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productnumber"
|
||
|
>501-3141</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Instead of using the Sun-type <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>keyboard</SPAN
|
||
|
> and
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>mice</SPAN
|
||
|
>, <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
uses <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
>-like <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PS2</SPAN
|
||
|
> parts instead.
|
||
|
One of the original marketing highlights of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> was that it would use standard <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
> parts
|
||
|
wherever possible to keep overall price down.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"brick"</SPAN
|
||
|
> has four <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PC-like SIMM</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
slots. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>SIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
> taken are industry-standard
|
||
|
60ns, 32-bit, 72-pin, 5V fast page <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>SIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
installed in pairs. Each slot is capable of holding up to a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>16MB SIMM</SPAN
|
||
|
>, bringing the maximum total capacity
|
||
|
of the unit to 64MB. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"xx"</SPAN
|
||
|
> in the Sun Option# of the
|
||
|
unit indicated how much memory the unit shipped with.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> For video display, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> utilizes
|
||
|
the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Sun TCX framebuffer</SPAN
|
||
|
>, capable of 1024x768@70Hz in
|
||
|
8-bit color. The port connector however, is a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>standard VGA jack
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, enabling the user to use standard <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>monitors</SPAN
|
||
|
> if desired (again, low cost in mind).
|
||
|
The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>on-board audio</SPAN
|
||
|
> is a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Crystal CS4231 chip
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, and the network interface is the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Sun Lance</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
10Mbps interface. In addition, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"brick"</SPAN
|
||
|
> also came with
|
||
|
a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>9-pin serial port</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>1/8" audio out jack
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> on its back.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> was fitted into the Sun
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"unidisk"</SPAN
|
||
|
> form factor case, and has been seen in a number
|
||
|
of color schemes. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> have been
|
||
|
fitted with casings in the white with light blue trim scheme used in
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Sun workstations</SPAN
|
||
|
>, as well as the dark blue-grey
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"new desktop"</SPAN
|
||
|
> scheme. Some say <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"JavaStation"</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
and have the Java coffee cup logo written on it, others do not.
|
||
|
Collectors may wish to collect all case variations.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> was used in early
|
||
|
Sun demos, and sold to pilot sites. When first brought out, the
|
||
|
cost to pilot sites was $699US. This was at a time when <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>'s were still higher than $1000US. By the end of the pilot
|
||
|
run, Sun was selling any remaining or used units for $299-$399US, in
|
||
|
anticipation for its <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"real"</SPAN
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> model.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/mr_coffee_front_view.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/mr_coffee_front_view.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="KrupsDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.2. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
> [<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-10</SPAN
|
||
|
>"</SPAN
|
||
|
>] [<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>"</SPAN
|
||
|
>] [<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>the tower</SPAN
|
||
|
>"</SPAN
|
||
|
>]
|
||
|
[<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>the percolator</SPAN
|
||
|
>"</SPAN
|
||
|
>] [
|
||
|
Sun Option No. JK-xx]</A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> This model is the second most prevalent <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
model you are likely to find. When you talk to industry people about the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"JavaStation"</SPAN
|
||
|
>, this is typically the model remembered first.
|
||
|
Delayed numerous times, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> model
|
||
|
officially went on sale to the general public Mar. 26, 1998 at the annual
|
||
|
JavaOne conference.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Though generation two of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> line, the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> model was <EM
|
||
|
>the JavaStation</EM
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
. Sporting a completely different board design than <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> establishes what was to be
|
||
|
the characteristic <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> architecture.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> is powered by a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>100Mhz MicroSPARC IIep</SPAN
|
||
|
> chip, (note the 'p').
|
||
|
Its mainboard had the internal addition of a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PCI bus</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
about a year before this standard bus made its well-publicized
|
||
|
appearance on the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Ultra</SPAN
|
||
|
> workstation
|
||
|
line. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>motherboard</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
is Sun Part no. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productnumber"
|
||
|
>501-4267</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> keeps the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PS2 keyboard</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PS2 mouse ports</SPAN
|
||
|
> from <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, keeping in mind the low-cost, interoperable goal of
|
||
|
generation 1.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> With the new board design, came new memory chip sockets. Instead of
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>SIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
>, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"tower"</SPAN
|
||
|
> moved to <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
> 168-pin DIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
>. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>DIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
> had begun to make
|
||
|
their way from the workstation realm to <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
>'s in the
|
||
|
time between generations one and two of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> line, so it was fitting for Sun to switch to
|
||
|
it in anticipation of their status low-cost commodity memory chips. The
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>DIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
> accepted by the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"tower"</SPAN
|
||
|
> are
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>168pin, 3.3V unbuffered EDO DIMMs (not SDRAM)</SPAN
|
||
|
>. With
|
||
|
two sockets capable of holding a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>32MB DIMM</SPAN
|
||
|
> each, the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> has a maximum capacity of 64<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>MB
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>RAM</SPAN
|
||
|
>. As with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, the number <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"xx"</SPAN
|
||
|
> in the Sun option number
|
||
|
refers to the amount of memory shipped with the unit.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> For video display, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> utilizes
|
||
|
the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PCI-based IGS C1682 framebuffer</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
capable of 1280x1024@80Hz in 24-bit <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"true color"</SPAN
|
||
|
>. This
|
||
|
is a step up from the 8-bit display on <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>. The port connector remained a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>standard VGA jack
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> like <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
>, enabling the
|
||
|
user to use standard <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
> monitors if desired.
|
||
|
The on-board audio remains a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Crystal
|
||
|
CS4231 chip</SPAN
|
||
|
> like <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
The network interface on <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> is the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Sun HappyMeal</SPAN
|
||
|
> 10/100 Mbps interface, another step
|
||
|
up from the original offering of <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"tower"</SPAN
|
||
|
> came with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>9-pin serial port
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>1/8" audio out jack</SPAN
|
||
|
> as
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-1</SPAN
|
||
|
>, but it also added a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>1/8" audio-in jack</SPAN
|
||
|
>, to do sound recording with.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Another addition in the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> is a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>flash memory SIMM</SPAN
|
||
|
>. This allows one to load the
|
||
|
current revision of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>OS</SPAN
|
||
|
> onboard, increasing
|
||
|
boot-speed tremendously.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Perhaps the thing most memorable about the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-NC
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> is its case design. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
comes in an aesthetically appealing casing. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>mainboard</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
is mounted vertically, and the shell entraps it, giving it the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"tower
|
||
|
"</SPAN
|
||
|
> or <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"percolator"</SPAN
|
||
|
> shape referred to. With the
|
||
|
streamlined case, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>power supply</SPAN
|
||
|
> is moved outside
|
||
|
to small transformer. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> unit gives
|
||
|
off so little heat that there are no onboard cooling fans, making the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> a <EM
|
||
|
>dead-silent</EM
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
machine. Imagine the difference in noise when replacing a lab of
|
||
|
traditional desktops with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>!
|
||
|
This case design earned <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> a<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"
|
||
|
1998 Industrial Design Excellence Award"</SPAN
|
||
|
> from the Industrial
|
||
|
Designers Society of America. This award announcement is still available
|
||
|
for read at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://www.idsa.org/whatis/seewhat/idea98/winners/javastation.htm"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://www.idsa.org/whatis/seewhat/idea98/winners/javastation.htm"
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
It is also archived locally via "fair use" for future readers at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/texts/krups_idsa_award.txt"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/texts/krups_idsa_award.txt"
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> had an initial base price of $599US,
|
||
|
$100US cheaper than <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Mr. Coffee</SPAN
|
||
|
>'s rollout price.
|
||
|
Due to it being the only model formally sold by Sun to the general public,
|
||
|
this is how <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> is sometimes referred to as
|
||
|
the only <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>, and not one model of a
|
||
|
product line.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/krups_front_view.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/krups_front_view.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="EspressoDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.3. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-E</SPAN
|
||
|
> [<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Espresso"</SPAN
|
||
|
>]
|
||
|
[Sun Option No. JE-xx]</A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> This model is extremely rare to find. It was never available for
|
||
|
sale in quantities to either the general public or the initial
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> deployments, limiting the
|
||
|
model's production quantity. To call this <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Generation
|
||
|
Three"</SPAN
|
||
|
> of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
may be improper, as <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> is nothing like
|
||
|
the generation three <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> written about
|
||
|
in early Sun marketing literature.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> was designed as an extension of
|
||
|
the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>. It was geared to sites that
|
||
|
wanted a little bit more functionality and expansion capability from
|
||
|
their <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
>: a cross between an
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> and a workstation.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> is powered by the same
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>110Mhz MicroSPARC IIep chip</SPAN
|
||
|
> as <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>. It's mainboard is similar to <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
with the addition of <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PCI slots</SPAN
|
||
|
> and an <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>IDE
|
||
|
channel</SPAN
|
||
|
> for local hard disks. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>IDE</SPAN
|
||
|
> on
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> was not enabled in the demo units.
|
||
|
Those who have tried to make it work have concluded the wiring is incorrect,
|
||
|
and it requires a hardware rework to get going.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> continues with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PS2 keyboard
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PS2 mouse ports</SPAN
|
||
|
> from <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
> Mr. Coffee</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> uses the same <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>168-pin,
|
||
|
3.3V unbuffered EDO DIMMs</SPAN
|
||
|
> as <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
The maximum amount of memory for Espresso is reported to be 96MB.
|
||
|
As with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Mr. Coffee</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, the number <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"xx"</SPAN
|
||
|
> in the Sun option number
|
||
|
refers to the amount of memory shipped with the unit.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> For video display, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> uses the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PCI-based IGS C2000 framebuffer</SPAN
|
||
|
>, along with the same
|
||
|
standard <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>VGA port connector</SPAN
|
||
|
> as <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Mr. Coffee</SPAN
|
||
|
>. The
|
||
|
on-board audio remains a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Crystal CS4231 chip</SPAN
|
||
|
> like
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>, and the network interface remains a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>Sun HappyMeal</SPAN
|
||
|
> 10/100 Mbps interface like
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
> as well.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> came with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>9-pin serial
|
||
|
port</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>1/8" audio out</SPAN
|
||
|
> and
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>1/8" audio in</SPAN
|
||
|
> jacks of <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
and a new addition of a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>parallel port</SPAN
|
||
|
>, and a second
|
||
|
9-pin serial port. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
> Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> also comes
|
||
|
with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>flash memory</SPAN
|
||
|
> to load your <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>OS</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
on and bypass the network boot cycle.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> One new addition to the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> is a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>smart card slot</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> comes in a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"pizza box"</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
style case like the old <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun SparcStations</SPAN
|
||
|
>, only
|
||
|
a little taller, and not quite as wide.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> was never sold to the public. There
|
||
|
was an internal testing period at Sun, but the units never went into
|
||
|
mass-production.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> One <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
> user mentioned he now uses
|
||
|
his unit as both a server and router, with the addition of an
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>IDE disk</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>3C905 ethernet card</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
demonstrating the expandability of this unit.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation-E</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/espresso_front_view.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/espresso_front_view.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="JavaEngineDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.4. <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaEngine-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> [<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"JE-1"</SPAN
|
||
|
>]</A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Like the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso</SPAN
|
||
|
>, this unit is also an extremely
|
||
|
rare find.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> This unit is supposed to be of similar board design to the Krups, but in
|
||
|
an ATX form factor, with soldered onboard flash memory, and with a
|
||
|
regular SVGA video chipset.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Gleb Raiko <TT
|
||
|
CLASS="email"
|
||
|
><<A
|
||
|
HREF="mailto:raiko@niisi.msk.ru)"
|
||
|
>raiko@niisi.msk.ru)</A
|
||
|
>></TT
|
||
|
> with the help of
|
||
|
Vladimir Roganov <TT
|
||
|
CLASS="email"
|
||
|
><<A
|
||
|
HREF="mailto:roganov@niisi.msk.ru"
|
||
|
>roganov@niisi.msk.ru</A
|
||
|
>></TT
|
||
|
> did initial
|
||
|
the Linux kernel support on <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"JE-1"</SPAN
|
||
|
>. Pete Zaitcev
|
||
|
<TT
|
||
|
CLASS="email"
|
||
|
><<A
|
||
|
HREF="mailto:zaitcev@yahoo.com"
|
||
|
>zaitcev@yahoo.com</A
|
||
|
>></TT
|
||
|
> later obtained a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"JE-1"</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
unit and restored full support in <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux kernel 2.3.x+
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> As the author of this document has never seen a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"JE-1"</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
submissions from the public are welcome.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaEngine-1</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/je1_overhead_view.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/je1_overhead_view.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="DoverDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.5. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Dover"</SPAN
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> model</A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> This is another box which does not exist officially outside of Sun.
|
||
|
Little was known of it at the first revision of this HOWTO. Since then,
|
||
|
proud owners have stepped forward. Basically, the Dover takes the Espresso
|
||
|
theme and moves it to stock X86 parts.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Dover comes in a case similar to the Espresso, but there's nothing where
|
||
|
the 'JavaStation-E' tag would be. Dover can be situated in a vertical
|
||
|
position by removable feet. All that is printed on the case is "Sun
|
||
|
MicroSystems 1998", and typically a serial number sticker of '12345678'
|
||
|
and 'Made in Taiwan'.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The motherboard is 'baby ATX' in configuration, but not
|
||
|
quite totally. Near the the front of the case is a fan that points
|
||
|
at the CPU heat sink. The CPU heat sink has another fan on top of it.
|
||
|
The motherboard has a Socket 7 CPU socket that houses a Cyrix MediaGCm-266GP
|
||
|
CPU. There are typical PC motherboard jumpers with silk-screened legends
|
||
|
for setting both clock speed and multiplier. The motherboard accepts
|
||
|
a PC100 DIMM (max. size unknown) and a powersupply with AT-type power
|
||
|
connectors. Included among them are two floppy and regular hard
|
||
|
drive type plug. There are two small jumpers going to the motherboard,
|
||
|
JPSB1 and JAUTO1, possibly for power management.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Expansion in Dover is via a two-card riser, with one PCI and one shared
|
||
|
PCI/ISA slot. As mentioned earlier, the motherboard deviates slightly from
|
||
|
standard ATX. Along the back edge under the cards are
|
||
|
connectors for audio out, audio in, mic, HD15F video, two USB ports,
|
||
|
D25F parallel printer, stacked PS/2 keyboard/mouse ports, and four
|
||
|
9-pin serial ports, marked A through D. Unlike other JavaStation models,
|
||
|
there is no on-board ethernet. Instead, it typically is provided by a
|
||
|
supplied 3COM 3C905B-TX Fast Etherlink XL PCI card (with a wake-on-LAN
|
||
|
cable going to the motherboard). There is a standard Sun MAC address
|
||
|
label on the back of the case.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Video is via a Cyrix CX5530 chip, but with the MediaGX chip, may be
|
||
|
just an auxilliary chip. There exist both a FDD and HDD headers on the
|
||
|
motherboard, but nowhere to mount a FDD in the case and no provision
|
||
|
for an HDD bracket either. There is a simple piezo buzzer mounted to
|
||
|
the motherboard and additionally a speaker with a cable leading back
|
||
|
near the audio out jacks. Like the Espresso, there is a smart-card
|
||
|
reader as well, and what looks like a compact-flash socket inside.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> When booting it up, you get a blue JS screen. Under the
|
||
|
exclamation point, are two memory card icons and a <...>
|
||
|
icon. It reads:
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><TABLE
|
||
|
BORDER="0"
|
||
|
BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0"
|
||
|
WIDTH="100%"
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
><FONT
|
||
|
COLOR="#000000"
|
||
|
><PRE
|
||
|
CLASS="screen"
|
||
|
> Boot device: /ethernet Arguments:
|
||
|
MAC Address: 08:00:20:95:5b:49
|
||
|
Open Boot 3.0, Built February 16, 1999 17:38:37
|
||
|
NIC: 10b7,9055 ethernet in PCI1 64MB SDRAM
|
||
|
Non-Volatile Device Memory Module Not Installed
|
||
|
SmartCard Reader Found
|
||
|
CPU Speed: 266 MHz
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Can't open boot device
|
||
|
|
||
|
ok
|
||
|
</PRE
|
||
|
></FONT
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
></TABLE
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
The Dover model, since it is based on an x86 chip, is supported by Linux.
|
||
|
This HOWTO however focuses on the SPARC-based JavaStations, so the procedures
|
||
|
presented here <EM
|
||
|
>will not work</EM
|
||
|
> with it. However,
|
||
|
there's plenty of x86 documentation at large to work from.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Dover</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/dover_inside.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/dover_inside.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="GenerationThreeDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.6. The Generation 3 <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Super JavaStation"</SPAN
|
||
|
></A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Sun originally envisioned three generation models of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
> JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>: <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Mr. Coffee</SPAN
|
||
|
>, the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups</SPAN
|
||
|
>, and the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Super JavaStation"</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
Generation Three was billed in early literature as going to be the fastest
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> offered, with a high-speed
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>CPU</SPAN
|
||
|
> and a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>JavaChip co-processor</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
to translate <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Java-bytecode</SPAN
|
||
|
> in hardware.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> All indications are that it never got beyond the mental stage,
|
||
|
and was more of a marketing myth than anything else.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> First, consider that the cost of higher performance <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>CPU</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
as a factor. If Sun packaged a high-performance <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>CPU</SPAN
|
||
|
> into
|
||
|
a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>, the low-cost advantage of an
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> goes away.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Next, Sun did have their <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>PicoJava chip</SPAN
|
||
|
> available to
|
||
|
decode <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Java bytecode</SPAN
|
||
|
>, but rumor is the performance
|
||
|
was not as good as expected, and the complete <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>JavaChip</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
project was shelved in the Summer of 1998, not long after <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Krups
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> was formally released.
|
||
|
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Dover"</SPAN
|
||
|
> project was being worked on, but the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Corona
|
||
|
"</SPAN
|
||
|
> project, which would go on to become the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Ray
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>, was the final nail in the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
's coffin.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> So all indications are that this model is a piece of <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"vaporware"</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
It is included here though, for the sake of completeness.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="JavaStationProtoDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.7. The Pre-Mr. Coffee JavaStation Prototype</A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> After the original publishing of this HOWTO, word of one more
|
||
|
"JavaStation" model surfaced. John Bodo, a reseller
|
||
|
of JavaStation equipment, chimed in that he has a motherboard of a
|
||
|
pre-JavaStation machine. It was made by Diba Corporation, which was
|
||
|
later bought out by Sun. The unit was released as an early embededded
|
||
|
Java platform that developers could use to build embedded Java machines.
|
||
|
It has a Motorola 68030 CPU, 14.4k bps modem, ethernet interface,
|
||
|
standard VGA interface and even a TV output. The prototype's date is
|
||
|
circa 1996.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation Prototype</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/pre_js_1.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/pre_js_1.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><H3
|
||
|
CLASS="sect3"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="JavaStationFoxDescSection"
|
||
|
>2.3.8. The Pre-Mr. Coffee JavaStation/Fox</A
|
||
|
></H3
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> After receiving word of the JavaStation prototype from Diba, yet
|
||
|
more information has come regarding another pre-Mr. Coffee model.
|
||
|
This one though, has a greater known history we can share here.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> This model was the JavaStation development box used by the developers
|
||
|
of early JavaStation software. Basically it was a SS4/110 in a smaller,
|
||
|
custom case similar to the Mr. Coffee enclosure, with more squarish profile.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The case has an off-white color with lateral stripe in Sun gray. It
|
||
|
sits like a Mr. Coffee would on its side. The front was a 1/2 cyclinder i
|
||
|
design in Sun gray, has the Sun Logo, the word "Sun" under that, and the
|
||
|
Java cup logo at the bottom.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> When booting up it claims to be a "JavaStation/Fox". The motherboard
|
||
|
does not have a normal Sun part number. The CPU is a microSPARC-II running
|
||
|
at 110MHz. The box has an onboard external SCSI connector,
|
||
|
dual A and B serial ports, audio in and out sound ports (Crystal
|
||
|
Semiconductor 4231,
|
||
|
lance ethernet network interface, onboard PCMCIA (stp4020), one SBUS expansion
|
||
|
slot, one AFXbus expansion slot, 2 72-pin SIMM slots (double-banked SIMMs
|
||
|
only), and no on-board video. One would then add their own S-Bus frame
|
||
|
buffer, or the 24-bit frame buffer from a ss5. Also, an optional internal
|
||
|
SCSI laptop hard drive could be put in.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The motherboard's part number is 501-2785. The CPU is dated 1995 while the
|
||
|
NCR chips are dated 1994, establishing the time frame of the Fox.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The NetBSD/SPARC FAQ has a few more words on the Fox at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/sparc/faq.html#fox"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/sparc/faq.html#fox
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> See the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation/Fox</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/fox_face.jpg"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/photos/fox_face.jpg
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect2"
|
||
|
><H2
|
||
|
CLASS="sect2"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="WhyLinuxSection"
|
||
|
>2.4. Reasons for Running <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux</SPAN
|
||
|
> and <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> Myths Dispelled</A
|
||
|
></H2
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> It turns out that <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux</SPAN
|
||
|
> makes the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> perform more than adequately
|
||
|
on the desktop. Thanks to the dedicated work of the Linux
|
||
|
developer community, the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
offer users the low-cost, zero-admin, versatile desktop
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
>'s they were originally billed to be, but with
|
||
|
the added freedom granted by the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux OS</SPAN
|
||
|
>.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> While low-cost <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
>'s now eclipse the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> in terms of default CPU speed and RAM size, the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> running <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux</SPAN
|
||
|
> are still well-suited for a number of tasks:
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
></P
|
||
|
><UL
|
||
|
><LI
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Diskless X-Terminal. (Gives the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> the
|
||
|
capability of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Xterminal 1</SPAN
|
||
|
> hardware that
|
||
|
they replaced).
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></LI
|
||
|
><LI
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> solution, Linux-style: local X + a java-capable
|
||
|
browser can make the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
perform like they did with <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>JavaOS</SPAN
|
||
|
>/<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
> HotJava</SPAN
|
||
|
>, only <EM
|
||
|
>many</EM
|
||
|
> times faster.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></LI
|
||
|
><LI
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> A beowulf node, or a dedicated <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>RC5</SPAN
|
||
|
>/<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
> SETI@HOME</SPAN
|
||
|
> client. The <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
running <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux</SPAN
|
||
|
> makes a stable, long-lasting
|
||
|
number cruncher.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></LI
|
||
|
><LI
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> A small, standalone machine. While a task more suited on today's
|
||
|
low-cost machines, there's not much that prevents the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
> JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
> from performing as a full-fleged
|
||
|
standalone <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>UNIX</SPAN
|
||
|
> machine by itself.
|
||
|
Just remember to set your expectations appropriately when doing so;
|
||
|
they were <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"low-budget"</SPAN
|
||
|
> clients when they were sold, and
|
||
|
should not be directly compared to today's workstation offerings.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></LI
|
||
|
><LI
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> A small router and server, particularly with the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Espresso
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> model decked out with added IDE disks and NIC.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></LI
|
||
|
></UL
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> In all of the above scenarios, there is little to no maintenance of
|
||
|
the machine once configured properly. Such is the advantage of the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
> hardware.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> run so much better with
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux</SPAN
|
||
|
> than <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>JavaOS</SPAN
|
||
|
>,
|
||
|
one would think that even Sun should have offered it as an option.
|
||
|
Unfortunately, Sun had killed the line in favor of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Ray
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
>. While the performance of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Ray
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> is good, keep in mind it is not intended as a dedicated
|
||
|
computing device, and due to its firmware is little more than a graphics
|
||
|
display hanging off your Sun server, which can give you some unexpected
|
||
|
bonus features (translation: <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"brand-name product lock"</SPAN
|
||
|
>).
|
||
|
The performance on
|
||
|
the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> with <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> will be similar to what you can get with a <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun
|
||
|
Ray</SPAN
|
||
|
>, but if ever you want to do something different with
|
||
|
your machines, you have the flexibility to do so with the
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
>. There was rumor of work to try
|
||
|
and override the default behavior of the SunRay firmware, and make
|
||
|
it into an adjustable computing device, but until that happens, running
|
||
|
another OS on a SunRay is just a pipe-dream.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Lastly, if you're thinking of switching to <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="hardware"
|
||
|
>diskless Xterminals
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> on your network, you might consider the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
> over stripped down <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PC</SPAN
|
||
|
>'s. The hardware
|
||
|
is standardized, smaller, and you do not need to worry about burning boot
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>PROM</SPAN
|
||
|
>s and the like.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect2"
|
||
|
><H2
|
||
|
CLASS="sect2"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="JavaStationDeathSection"
|
||
|
>2.5. Why <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> are No Longer
|
||
|
Produced</A
|
||
|
></H2
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Sun's official stance is that the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
line was terminated in favor of the new <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Ray</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
line. A trip to the former <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
section of Sun's website at <A
|
||
|
HREF="http://www.sun.com/javastation"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://www.sun.com/javastation</A
|
||
|
> verifies this formal positioning.
|
||
|
(fair use archival copy at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/texts/sun_js_site_death.txt"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/texts/sun_js_site_death.txt
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
)
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> As the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>Sun Ray</SPAN
|
||
|
> is not an <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="acronym"
|
||
|
>NC</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
in the traditional sense (it has a MicroSparc IIep CPU, but the firmware
|
||
|
on the device prevents anyone from grasping it), there is no explanation why
|
||
|
the two products could not co-exist.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> In talking to the users of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
in the pre-Linux era, you will find strong opinions as to why
|
||
|
the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> are no more. The common
|
||
|
thread in almost all opinions collected is that the software provided
|
||
|
by Sun was inadequete for a production environment. Here are
|
||
|
collected opinions from users of the Sun-provided software, included
|
||
|
with their permission:
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="AEN774"
|
||
|
></A
|
||
|
><TABLE
|
||
|
BORDER="0"
|
||
|
WIDTH="100%"
|
||
|
CELLSPACING="0"
|
||
|
CELLPADDING="0"
|
||
|
CLASS="BLOCKQUOTE"
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="80%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> I only used the Java Stations last summer while teaching 51 and 55/154.
|
||
|
GoJoe was incredibly slow and I seem to remember having to login to several
|
||
|
different screens and browsers just to be able to start anything.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> I had to apologize to my students for the slow and inconvenient
|
||
|
machines --- I remember making some jokes about technological progress.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
COLSPAN="2"
|
||
|
ALIGN="RIGHT"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
>--<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="attribution"
|
||
|
>Dr. Alex Ryba, Former Professor at Marquette University (Quoted March 2000)
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
></TABLE
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
></P
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="AEN779"
|
||
|
></A
|
||
|
><TABLE
|
||
|
BORDER="0"
|
||
|
WIDTH="100%"
|
||
|
CELLSPACING="0"
|
||
|
CELLPADDING="0"
|
||
|
CLASS="BLOCKQUOTE"
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="80%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Well, of course the old JavaStations were practically
|
||
|
unusable. It's not a matter of just my opinion; we used to
|
||
|
have CU 310 full of students using the Xterms all the time.
|
||
|
As soon as the JavaStations appeared there were NO STUDENTS
|
||
|
in there at all. The JavaStations killed CU 310. Now that
|
||
|
the JavaStations are (thanks to you) back up to speed,
|
||
|
students are beginning to come back, but they've gotten out
|
||
|
of the habit of working in our lab, and are used to working
|
||
|
on their own in the dorms. I think this is a big loss --
|
||
|
they don't learn anything from talking to each other in the
|
||
|
labs anymore.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Ghostview was slow, etc, but even vi was too slow. I am
|
||
|
used to typing quickly, and when the cursor can't keep up
|
||
|
with me, I can't handle it. I would also have worked at home
|
||
|
if I didn't have to be here. And there were those annoying
|
||
|
red squares left all over the Xterm window when you were in
|
||
|
vi. I had to type ^L every few lines to get rid of them to
|
||
|
see what I was typing... The pits. The whole setup made
|
||
|
me lose a lot of respect for Sun (although I try to separate
|
||
|
the different product lines as much as possible); I also
|
||
|
think Sun will not get respect for hyping a product like the
|
||
|
JavaStation so strongly, and then just dumping it. I would
|
||
|
wonder why anyone would not just dump Sun...
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> BTW, the JavaStations, now that they are fast, are quite fine.
|
||
|
I really like mine, and don't see why they aren't a viable
|
||
|
product.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
COLSPAN="2"
|
||
|
ALIGN="RIGHT"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
>--<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="attribution"
|
||
|
>Dr. Mark Barnard, Professor at Marquette University (Quoted March 2000)
|
||
|
<TT
|
||
|
CLASS="email"
|
||
|
><<A
|
||
|
HREF="mailto:markb@mscs.mu.edu"
|
||
|
>markb@mscs.mu.edu</A
|
||
|
>></TT
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
></TABLE
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
></P
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="AEN786"
|
||
|
></A
|
||
|
><TABLE
|
||
|
BORDER="0"
|
||
|
WIDTH="100%"
|
||
|
CELLSPACING="0"
|
||
|
CELLPADDING="0"
|
||
|
CLASS="BLOCKQUOTE"
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="80%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> I believe that it was the triple combination of Sun's JavaOS, the
|
||
|
Hotjava software, and GraphOn's GoJoe X-connectivity software which
|
||
|
ultimately doomed the JavaStation line.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> JavaOS was always sluggish in performance for us. It was rated as
|
||
|
having one of the slowest Java VMs by a ZDNet Online Magazane review at
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/javaguide/jfgr10.htm"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/javaguide/hfgr10.htm</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
. I speculate this was the the main cause of delaying the
|
||
|
JavaStation's formal public release to April 1998.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> (fair use archive copy of the PC mag review at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/texts/pcmag_js_jvm_review.txt"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://dubinski-family.org/~jshowto/Files/texts/pcmag_js_jvm_review.txt
|
||
|
</A
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
)
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> JavaOS also always lagged behind the current Java developer
|
||
|
spec (ie running Java 1.0 when Java 1.1 was prevalent, and Java 1.1
|
||
|
when Java 1.2 was issued). It was tough explaining to students why
|
||
|
the books they were buying were all using the new event-model of Java 1.1,
|
||
|
but they could not program to it and have it run on <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"the Java machine
|
||
|
"</SPAN
|
||
|
>. There were also some implementation problems with some of the
|
||
|
AWT peers which sometimes made programming across platforms difficult.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> These performance and implementation problems were never addressed in
|
||
|
subsequent build of JavaOS for the duration we ran it. I believe the
|
||
|
last edition we had used a Java 1.1.4 runtime, when we had a Java 1.2
|
||
|
development kit on the server.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The HotJava browser software suffered from not being able to handle
|
||
|
web standards HTML4, cascading style-sheets, or the ECMA javascript.
|
||
|
All of these standards were employed in commercial sites at the time,
|
||
|
resulting in many sites that weren't viewable by the JavaStations.
|
||
|
The Hotjava Browser engine also had serious printing problems with
|
||
|
certain webpages, some of which appeared on Sun's own website!
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The HotJava Views task selector software also was rough. Users could have
|
||
|
multiple apps running, but only one displayed at a time. Manipulation
|
||
|
of multiple window panes was difficult (no minimization, no quick list to
|
||
|
all apps, resizing not always possible). Flexibility users had grown
|
||
|
accustomed to was tossed out in favor of this task-selector approach.
|
||
|
On Sun's Java website there was a page boasting of a committee formed
|
||
|
that decided this was the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"right way"</SPAN
|
||
|
> to make a desktop.
|
||
|
Tell that to our users.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The GraphOn Go-Joe software was by far the most damaging piece of software
|
||
|
to the JavaStation line. This was an X-connectivity software Sun licensed
|
||
|
from GraphOn to give users access to the Solaris servers' X apps.
|
||
|
The connectivity worked via a daemon installed on the Solaris server,
|
||
|
which was connected to by a Java connectivity applet on the NC side. This
|
||
|
small applet (only about 250K) simply threw up the latest display state
|
||
|
and sent back to the daemon the mouse and keyboard strokes of the user.
|
||
|
Unlike Xterminals though, the actual Xserver process was spawned and
|
||
|
communicated with on the remote server-side by the daemon. Communication
|
||
|
between the GraphOn client applet and the server daemon was supposedly
|
||
|
done by a patented protocol to compress communication and speed things up.
|
||
|
However, the performance of X under Go-Joe was terribly sluggish, with
|
||
|
horrible refresh rates (10-seconds for some page scroll refreshes).
|
||
|
Many sites operators I spoke to elected to not run the Go-Joe software
|
||
|
past a trial period for this reason. We had to run it though, as our
|
||
|
users were heavily X dependant. Alternatives like Weird/X were not
|
||
|
available at this time, and VNC proved not up to snuff given the slow
|
||
|
JavaOS VM.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> This performance in Go-Joe alone was enough to give uninformed users the
|
||
|
impression that the JavaStation was an underpowered machine, especially
|
||
|
when placed side-by-side with the low-cost, end-of-lifed Sun Xterminal 1
|
||
|
hardware it was meant to replace. Our students left labs in droves,
|
||
|
faculty were upset, and giving demos to outsiders was downright
|
||
|
embarrassing. In reality the hardware was solid and stable, but
|
||
|
was hampered by this new, untested OS and new, untested applications
|
||
|
running on a new, untested hardware architecture. This triple-threat
|
||
|
combination, and Sun's timeline for fixing the problems is what
|
||
|
I feel truly doomed the JavaStation.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> I remember that in 1998, Sun publicized that it had rolled out 3000
|
||
|
of these machines in-house, including one on Scott McNealy's desk.
|
||
|
One who has used the JavaStations with the Sun software would have
|
||
|
to wonder whether he ever turned it on and used it solely for a day?
|
||
|
Had he done so, I'm sure he'd demand things be done differently.
|
||
|
(update Oct. 2001: many ex-Sun employees who've contacted me say they
|
||
|
made great doorstops and paper weights.)
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Why Sun never ported and released its tried and tested XTerminal
|
||
|
software to the JavaStation, or even a mini-Solaris, remained a
|
||
|
mystery to us the whole time before we switched to Linux. It was
|
||
|
only after we moved to Linux and the JavaStation line was formally killed
|
||
|
by Sun when we learned from some inside Sun sources that Solaris
|
||
|
actually was ported to Mr. Coffee, but released only internally at Sun.
|
||
|
As a heavily invested customer site who had begged for help, this was
|
||
|
not only disheartening, but insulting to discover.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Lastly, the customer support we received at the time was horrible. We pled
|
||
|
our case on more than a few occassions, but requests always seemed to
|
||
|
fall on deaf ears. Calling up SunSolve for JavaStation help always
|
||
|
resulted in a transfer to a Java <EM
|
||
|
>Language</EM
|
||
|
> engineer.
|
||
|
If the Sun employees do not know their own products, that's a problem!
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> >From our view, there no doubt was politics involved in this, and as
|
||
|
customers, we were the ones to bear the results of this.
|
||
|
We continue using Sun equipment when it comes to the proven models
|
||
|
like the Enterprise-class servers and disk arrays, but on the
|
||
|
latest low-cost desktop offerings, we will be forever cautious
|
||
|
given the JavaStation history.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Linux now proves the JavaStations are adequate machines, and Sun could
|
||
|
take this bait and go with it. If they sell the JavaStations for $250
|
||
|
a piece and the JavaStation running a proven OS like Linux (or Solaris)
|
||
|
with proven apps (X), the JavaStation makes for a great network appliance.
|
||
|
The recent NetPliance I-Opener Linux hack and subsequent controversy
|
||
|
proves there certainly is a market for this type of low-cost device.
|
||
|
(Oct. 2001 addition: After the publishing of the Linux hack, NetPliance made
|
||
|
their new hardware unhackable, and subsequently ran out of business. The
|
||
|
demand for cheap diskless stations still exist. Today's hackable units
|
||
|
are set-top receivers and failed internet toasters like the 3Com Audrey)
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
COLSPAN="2"
|
||
|
ALIGN="RIGHT"
|
||
|
VALIGN="TOP"
|
||
|
>--<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="attribution"
|
||
|
>Robert Dubinski, former Computer Systems Technician at Marquette
|
||
|
University (Quoted March 2000)
|
||
|
<TT
|
||
|
CLASS="email"
|
||
|
><<A
|
||
|
HREF="mailto:rsd@dubinski-family.org"
|
||
|
>rsd@dubinski-family.org</A
|
||
|
>></TT
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
</SPAN
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="10%"
|
||
|
> </TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
></TABLE
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> More comments and rebuttal statements by Sun employees are always welcome.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> (update Oct 2001): A year and a half of this document's existance and not
|
||
|
a single rebuttal statement by Sun. There were a couple initial requests
|
||
|
to omit this section, but I refused. After all, imagine a new reader
|
||
|
who never saw a JavaStation before: They'd read to this section, think
|
||
|
"Wow, what a great little machine..let me get one!", and then ask
|
||
|
themselves, "If it did all this, why don't they make them anymore?".
|
||
|
The bad must be included with the good, and to leave this section out
|
||
|
is a disservice to all the users who suffered through the poor software
|
||
|
and support during the official lifetime of the JavaStation. This section,
|
||
|
therefore, is a necessity, and although this document is licensed under the
|
||
|
GNU Free Documentation License, the eagle-eyed reader will note that this
|
||
|
section has been labeled as "invariant" to protect it from entities
|
||
|
who may wish to bury it (which is precisely the reason why the Invariant
|
||
|
clause of the GFDL exists).
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="sect2"
|
||
|
><H2
|
||
|
CLASS="sect2"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
NAME="WherePurchaseSection"
|
||
|
>2.6. Where to Purchase a JavaStation</A
|
||
|
></H2
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Since Sun has canceled production of the <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
>
|
||
|
line, it no longer sells them through their official channels. Sun
|
||
|
contacts have informed me that all internal JavaStation stock
|
||
|
was cleaned out and dumped in 2000. Therefore, All JavaStations are
|
||
|
now found out in the wild.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Your best bet to get <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> though is
|
||
|
out on the open market. Educational institutions which received a
|
||
|
handful from Sun as demo units are now trying to offload them any way
|
||
|
they can (too bad they don't read this HOWTO). Search around the
|
||
|
auction sites like Ebay and Yahoo Auctions, and you should be able
|
||
|
to turn some up.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> A great resource for <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStations</SPAN
|
||
|
> used to be
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
>"Bodoman's JavaStation site"</SPAN
|
||
|
> at:
|
||
|
<A
|
||
|
HREF="http://www.bodoman.com/javastation/javastation.html"
|
||
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
> http://www.bodoman.com/javastation/javastation.html</A
|
||
|
>. Sadly,
|
||
|
as of October 2001, the domain bodoman.com seems to no longer resolve.
|
||
|
Ebay may now be your best bet.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Mr. Coffee is the most widespread JavaStation model, and has tended
|
||
|
to sell around $30-80US consistently for the last year or so.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> Krups models more rare and sell at higher prices, probably because the
|
||
|
stylish case still stands out today. Prices on Ebay are always over
|
||
|
$100, but for Oct. 2001, their technology is definitely no longer worth
|
||
|
that much. A good price would be $80-85US. Many reports have come from
|
||
|
the UK telling of many Krups models getting dumped there.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The Dover models were a very hush-hush thing when this HOWTO was initially
|
||
|
published, but the secret is out: if you want one, go to South Africa.
|
||
|
Dovers seemed to have been dumped there en masse. Pricing is unknown,
|
||
|
but should be comparable to a Cyrix-266 PC clone.
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
><P
|
||
|
> The Espresso and JavaEngine models are near impossible to find,
|
||
|
so if you get one, consider yourself lucky. If you have a Fox,
|
||
|
well, you're just too cool. Pricing for these models is likely a
|
||
|
premium. (>$100US).
|
||
|
</P
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
><DIV
|
||
|
CLASS="NAVFOOTER"
|
||
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><HR
|
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|
ALIGN="LEFT"
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||
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WIDTH="100%"><TABLE
|
||
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WIDTH="100%"
|
||
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BORDER="0"
|
||
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CELLPADDING="0"
|
||
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CELLSPACING="0"
|
||
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><TR
|
||
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><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
||
|
ALIGN="left"
|
||
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
HREF="metainfochapter.html"
|
||
|
>Prev</A
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="34%"
|
||
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ALIGN="center"
|
||
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VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
HREF="index.html"
|
||
|
>Home</A
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
||
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ALIGN="right"
|
||
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
><A
|
||
|
HREF="backgroundrequirementschapter.html"
|
||
|
>Next</A
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
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></TR
|
||
|
><TR
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
||
|
ALIGN="left"
|
||
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
>META Information</TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="34%"
|
||
|
ALIGN="center"
|
||
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
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> </TD
|
||
|
><TD
|
||
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
||
|
ALIGN="right"
|
||
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
>Background Requirements for <SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="application"
|
||
|
>Linux</SPAN
|
||
|
> on a
|
||
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
CLASS="productname"
|
||
|
>JavaStation</SPAN
|
||
|
></TD
|
||
|
></TR
|
||
|
></TABLE
|
||
|
></DIV
|
||
|
></BODY
|
||
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></HTML
|
||
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>
|