Tektronix Inc, Beaverton, Oregon, has come up with a new XP100 range of X Window terminals. The six models in the series are effectively cut-down versions of the recently launched high-end XP350 line, and tailored for the commercial market. Like the XP350s, the new XP100s use LSI Logic Corp’s 33020 GraphX version of the MIPS Technologies Inc R3000 RISC runnning at 25MHz in all but one case, rather than 33MHz as in the XP350 series. The six run X11.5 and V6.3 of the company’s XpressWare bundle of local client emulation as well as windowing, printing and administration software. They come with from 4Mb to 20Mb RAM, two serial ports and an optional parallel port, an autoselection mechanism for configuration with thick, thin or twisted pair Ethernet and Flash boot ROM. The 15 monochrome XP115M is a 1,024 by 768 device and is rated at 1.51 Xmarks. The XP119M – the only 33MHz model in the series – is a 19 monochrome display with a resolution of 1,280 by 1,024 and performs at 1.9 Xmarks. The 14 colour XP114C performs at 1.6 Xmarks and has 1,024 by 768 pixels. The 17 mono XP117C displays 1,152 by 900 pixels and performs at 1.6 Xmarks. The XP119C is a 19 colour display with 1,152 by 900 resolution performing at 1.6 Xmarks. The XP100 is a module-only device. Prices go from $1,400 or UKP920 for the module, UKP1,900 for the XP114C, UKP2,110 for the XP119M, UKP3,000 for the XP117C and $4,700 or UKP3,710 for the XP119C. All are available from November. Each has a single expansion slot, as opposed to the three on the XP350s, and use 32-bit, as opposed to 64-bit memory chips. Half of the firm’s X terminals go to the commercial market, such as transaction processing – it shipped 18,143 of the things in 1992, and expects to exceed 36,000 sales in 1993. Although it doesn’t break out the unit’s figures, Tektronix says X terminals account for some 8% or 9% of its $1,400m turnover, and it is a profitable concern. X terminal software development costs now far outstrip the cost of the hardware itself, Tektronix says.
