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To: Allen Benn who wrote (2605)	1/1/1998 8:08:00 PM
From: Snowshoe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10309

Virtual Interface Architecture (VIA) complements I2O Allen, I know you've mentioned clustering here in the past but I don't recall seeing this spec mentioned. While we were sparring with Mark Brophy about WIND's stock performance, Compaq, Intel, and Microsoft published a new clustering standard on Dec. 16 that is said to complement I2O. Background information and technical specs can be found at: viarch.org . I'm interested in your thoughts on this development. Here are some articles from Techweb, with excerpts mentioning I2O: Supercomputing scheme has broad impact -- Virtual interface will simplify clustering, EE Times, Dec. 15, 1997 techweb.com Excerpt: "VIA isn't being created in a vacuum. Its promoters note that other standards are addressing different aspects of the interface/communications hierarchy, and they are attempting to make sure that those that can work together are brought in before the specification is solidified. One is the Intelligent I/O specification, which simplifies the development of driver standards, among other issues. "There is a lot of work in the labs in merging I2O with VIA," Rattner said." Clustering Hits Parallel Realm, InternetWeek, Dec. 22, 1997 techweb.com Excerpt: "Likewise, the VIA standard is designed to complement I20, a proposed interface for storage devices designed to eliminate operating-system-specific device drivers. I2O applies only to the PCI bus standard, which operates at 512 megabytes per second at a maximum distance of 8 inches. VIA technology can link networks of storage devices at longer distances, Shults said."

To: Allen Benn who wrote (2605)	1/2/1998 1:54:00 PM
From: Arrow Hd.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10309

Allen, I have been reading your posts with extreme interest today (directed here from PAIR thread) and have found them to be very educational. Since I am sitting here using alternately a Thinkpad 760 loaded with everything (Lotus, etc.) for some document and Email work and now a 1970s era 3279 (the original bi-sync "NC") for my Internet work including typing this note to this thread, I found your discussion of the NC to be very interesting. Though I agree with most of what you have said and certainly respect all of your points I do think that the NC will have a much quicker acceptance in the corporate world than you would contend. Most corporate end-users dont need workstations loaded to the gills with everything Bill or anyone else makes. They need information and the ability to use the workstation tool efficiently and quickly. The Silicon Investor is far more easily accessed through this 20 year old "NC" than it is through the software jungle loaded on the 760. Sure it is limited but the new NCs give you enough of what you need for modern computing at a considerable savings in education, training, keystroking, time delay and overall speed. If you want info, want it fast, and are a general every day kind of corporate worker the NC is going to fit into your workplace. And it is much cheaper for the CIO to buy, especially when he/she may be looking at a much higher Y2K bill than earlier anticipated. One of the reasons the mainframe business has exploded in the past few years is the realization that optimizing cost/benefit ratios in IT means bringing workload back into a centralized operation versus sending it out to the end-users workstation. So I dont believe it will be years before corporate decision makers replace generic PCs with NCs but this is an opinion and not a critique. I have recommended to some of my associates that they read your thread for the excellent insight you have provided.