Dear all,
I sent letter for comments on two questions 3 weeks ago and got only 7
replies and two of them were asking for my summary :) So sorry for such
a delayed summarization.
My questions are:
1. Which is better for the console, a SGI O2/Irix based Xwin-nmr or a
PC/Linux based Xwin-nmr?
2. Will the Eizo FlexScan monitor be re-usable if I plan to use a PC?
The replies can be summarized to:
1. While SGI/Irix is stable and reliable, PC/Linux is also a choice.
2. An adaptor or a cable may be needed for the monitor, but it can most
probably be re-used.
The following are detailed quotations.
********************************************************************************
For question one:
Comments of Prof. Allen Bush from University of Maryland gives
preference on Unix over NT, so I'll not quote his word.
Bill Gurley from University of Tennessee comments:
"Aside from the lower cost,I think you benefit considerably from the
flexibility of linux, in terms of customizing the network setup, support
for devices such as cd-writers, etc. ... Our SGI platform is quite
stable. However, I find the linux operating system easier to deal with.
Also, I think there is more active development with linux than with
Irix."
Perhaps comments of Dr. Michael Engelhardt from Bruker Analytik GmbH are
most authoritative on Xwin-nmr:
"This is true (that Xwinnmr for Linux is still in its alpha version),
but we will offer a spectrometer release of
our Linux version towards the end of the year. Stability is the same on
both systems, as far as we can tell at this point. We surely have a much
more experience with the SGI based system, but the program is the same,
so we don't expect any major differences. Performance is clearly better
on the Linux based systems, they are certainly faster !"
John S. Harwood from University of Illinois at Chicago mentioned it's
possible to buy a used/reburbished
SGI's at significantly lower prices than new by visiting:
http://www.mce.com/Specials/sgi.html
Peter Grice from Cambridge mentioned that he uses Indy for his DRX600
and changed to O2 only to use their flat screen, and he did not
mentioned which version of Xwin-nmr he is using on Indy and O2 but
mentioned that Irix 6.5.12 runs happily on the Indy.
********************************************************************************
For question two:
Allen Bush mentioned that
"the problem is that they are fixed frequency monitors while most PC's
expect multisync monitors. You can get PC video cards to support a
fixed frequency monitor and I have used one with good success. Do not
try to run a fixed frequency monitor on an ordinary PC video card --
that is a mess with either linux or NT."
Bill Gurley
"I took a quick look at the Eizo web site. I really do not think there
will be a problem in getting your Eizo monitor to work. However, you
may need an adapter."
Dr. Michael Engelhardt
"I'm pretty sure that all you need is a different cable. We have all
sorts of different computer systems and they all work with almost any
monitor that we ever bought for our computers."
Peter Grice mentioned that if my EIZO comes with the Indy for DRX600 it
should be reusable with standard PC type cables. And his is presently
connected to an Apple Mac!
********************************************************************************
That's all :)
And since I'm not the boss, I can't tell you which is the choice
currently.
Yu-Feng
-- Yu-Feng Tong||童宇峰 NMR Group, Dept. Enzymology Inst. Biophysics, Academia Sinica 15 Datun Road, Beijing, P.R.China, 100101 _______________________________________________________________________________ Life is an everlasting game of Weiqi(igo, baduk).
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