DEC X11 terminals: when, what?

[Burt Janz]

>From article <1330 at eutrc3.urc.tue.nl>, by rcpt at eutrc4.urc.tue.nl (Piet Tutelaers):
> 
> DEC has announced X11 terminals. Can somebody answer some of my following
> questions?
> a) When will these X11 terminals become available?

Well, first things first.  I'm a contractor working on the DEC VT1000 (that's
the official name) terminal.  I don't know if it's been formally announced, so
I'll keep my comments brief and non-technical (I don't want to lose my job!).

The first model (monochrome) should be available in late January, early
February.  Unlike HP, which announced before ready to ship, DEC didn't announce
formally yet.  But, when they do, it'll be available immediately.  I have even
heard rumors that over 5000 terminals have already been ordered.

The beta units we've been using are better than most other companies' final
release units.  I have no particular bias towards DEC, but THIS time, they did
it right.

> b) At what price range?

I understand that $3k is about right.  BUT, DEC intends to sell through third
party channels, so you may see a "street price" on this guy.  If so, the price
will be lower than the other terminals.

> c) I have heard rumours that this terminal is a NCD with DECnet.
>    Does somebody know more about this rumours. When does NCD come with
>    DECnet?

Absolutely incorrect.  The DEC DWT (that's the internal name) is NOT an NCD.
DEC developed the terminal from the ground up, both hardware and software.  It
will provide slightly lower performance than the NCD, but will shame the NCD
in several areas (see below).  I expect that the VT1000 will sell quite well...
for that matter I want one!  (and I'm the guy that recommends AGAINST buying
the low end DEC cpus!)

> d) Any other information regarding this X11 terminal is welcome!
> 

The VT100 will have a built-in terminal and window manager, and will have a
built-in video terminal emulator (both of which can be overridden by remote
clients).  It will run (actually, it DOES run) DECNet and TCP/IP, doing both
LAT and TELNET connections.  We have brought up both DECWindows and Motif as
remote window managers on this guy, and get quite respectable performance.
That's where the VT1000 shines over the NCD: local clients which come up as
soon as you turn on the power.

The internal VTE (video terminal emulator) does VT300/100/52 emulation, and
can be opened up via TCP/IP, LAT, or serial line to any host running any of
these protocols.  We've had simultaneous windows open to VMS and ULTRIX via
combinations of DECNet, TCP/IP, and serial, so I've seen it work.

The initial machine comes with enough memory to do useful work, 'tho I'd
recommend boosting memory IMMEDIATELY.

In short, this is a complete X server WITH clients.  Plug-n-play into your
network, whether or NOT you have an X host available.

Sorry if I sound like an advertisement, but, like I said, THIS time, DEC
did something right.  Very right.

> Thanks, Piet
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> uucp:   rcpt at urc.tue.nl       | Piet Tutelaers        Room  RC 1.82
> bitnet: rcpt at heithe5.BITNET   | Eindhoven University of  Technology
> phone:  +31 (0)40 474541      | P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, NL

You're welcome.

Burt Janz
..decvax!bhjat!bhj