Hello Hamei;
how goes all by China? I hope well!
I've found some interesting items in your post. Let's see:
hamei wrote:
Their attitude towards the Developer Plus program, same thing. Do they want software that runs on SGI computers or not ?
Well; I can't say it exactly.
I've entered to the "SGI Global Developer Program PLUS" two years ago, almost when new IRIX developments started to get a slow fade out from SGI. I've never insisted to they, and I've noticed their aproval within 15 days of filled the company's form.
I don't know how goes the things now for those programmers actually eligible for a membership; but I must say that employees on SGI were amazingly cool with me.
hamei wrote:
Why should they care if it runs on Irix instead of Linux unless they want to denigrate their
own
past products -
other
people are gonna do the work and any press is good press, right ?
They don't care.
If you develop for IRIX, you have the development pack, and you have a doable project, you'll get technical and bussiness support if you need and request it. Of course maybe they could take a few days, or a few weeks to reply your request. But if you recall them with a short eMail, they are proud to help.
In the other hand, if you develop for LINUX, as far as I know, there is not a development pack from SGI, and you must get the compilers from Intel. And for the rest, if you need technical or bussiness support, same goes for LINUX. You'll not get a faster reply for your project, as far as I know. Maybe the things could change if you mention interest to buy a LINUX box, I don't know.
hamei wrote:
If Diego et al made a spiffy updated O2 video Toaster, why should SGI care that it's only gonna sell maybe fifty units ? If it gets press even from the Register, that's more than they're getting now.
I've received a few calls many months ago, boosting my software developments, and preventing me that my promised LINUX port could not be SO EASY when we talk about multi-processor machines, since I could need to get a lot of extra cares to get all running on Altix. By those days, Prism line was only an idea, and the only existant SGI LINUX box with a graphic head was a modded Altix with some ATI hardware, running on about U$D8000 for a single node dveloper box, including discounts.
I've received from they an invitation to U.S.A., to show something of my project on the SGIUG, but I've was not able to take their offer because my obligations by those days with work and clients, to not mention the surprisingly high expenses by those days for a 30 days travell to U.S.A., when my country was with a exchange currency of: [4 Arg$ = 1 US$]
But by some way or other, I've always get some kind of encourage from they to work in my project, including eMails, phone calls, support, and pretty much all the needed information resources to do my work.
Now, let me say it clear; to put in aware all the potential programmers desiring to get a membership on the SGI Global Developer Program PLUS:
SGI can provide you an excellent development pack, with suitable permanent licenses for an eternal work, all shipped with care in a nice box with the double of size of a shoes box.
You'll get access to every developers database. You'll get access to latest overlays of IRIX, and LINUX ProPack if you are signed for LINUX too. You'll get some extra support, a few phone calls to talk with company employees, and solutions for technical and/or bussiness problems. And that's all.
You'll not get your wheels greased with money from SGI to get done the job. You'll not get IRIX or LINUX equipment as gift for a completed work, or for any kind of work in progress; or at least, it is not an obbligation from SGI.
So; if you are thinking to develop for SGI IRIX, or SGI LINUX, take carefully account of those things, plainning the things before to get enough founds to continue your work in the time.
If you develop in C++, and you wants a really ready to go mature project for the end customer, you MUST take cares to get founds along these development, since you COULD NOT GET IT DONE BEFORE TWO YEARS!
That was my fail, and not from SGI. I was convinced that working seven days a weeks, 16 hours every day I could finish the whole project in less than 12 months. That was a huge fail!
I've consumed LOTS of resources from my own cash, lots of time, lots of energy, and my project is not finished by now.
Summarizing: was necessary a complete stop by two months to get re-organized my schedulles and strategies to keep programming while I can make some other payd works. Was necessary to turn all my IRIX developments again to the category of "hobby", against my previous "full-time" approach.
I'll repeat it for anyone distracted:
the Developer Program programmers are not getting any kind of economical resources from SGI, either if you talk of freeware or commercialware. You are responsible for your own success or defeat.
In fact, they are pretty much a neutral force behind you, if you don't request from they any kind of technical or bussiness assistance (pretty much my own case; since I've simply not needed/requested too much support, excepting two things: 1) O2 ip32 sourcecode to get the Chicago-Joe >800MHz processors working, and... 2) DM10 drivers fully compliant with both IIDC and AV/C standards), so they will not stop you to develop for IRIX.
And if you want to develop for LINUX the most probably risponse there'll be: "Buy A Prism!"; in fact, maybe the Prism is the actual LINUX developer's gateway to the programming ballpark.
hamei wrote:
Then this crap about squeezing off Irix support - now
there's
a real winner. Sure, maybe quarterly releases are not viable these days - but how about a press release telling people that you intend to cut back to a semi-annual program "since Irix is a mature, stable platform" rather than letting the world assume (and the world
will
assume this) that it's because you are such a loser that you can't afford to even pay for a usb driver ?
I don't know what happens with IEEE-1394 and USB drivers on SGI. This is an obscure mistery for me. They seems to be too rejected to get both things working; and I don't know why. I'm sure they can.
I think of IRIX workstations/servers in relation to LINUX current line as an entry point to the actual SGI line that is a big asset for the company, since this is what the people can get easily. I think of eBay Indy/Indigo2/O2/Octane boxes almost as "free-samples" of what you could get from current SGI(s). Comparing prices from latest 8 years, with those from today, an Octane is *almost* free now.
They seems to not realize this. IRIX boxes on eBay are not the enemy; in fact they are corporative image and brand promotion escentially by free.
...GHex is your friend!)
But I am still ecstatic!
