IRIX 6.5.22 is releasing with all new systems shipping from SGI worldwide manufacturing centers. The IRIX 6.5.22 release contains both maintenance and feature updates. This release continues the focus on stability, reliability, security and compatibility required in the IRIX 6.5.XX quarterly release process. Approximately 121 customer-reported incidents are fixed in this release.
IRIX 6.5.22 Released
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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In addition to the new musicplayer application, a number of other changes were made to the desktop. Some of the things I added to the IRIX desktop in 6.5.22 were:
* anti-aliased icons
* enhanced background panel
* global font-size option
* window icon sizes
* support for DMF filesystems
Some screenshots of these features are available here:
http://reality.sgi.com/ralpht/resume/screenshots/
— ralpht
Irix is a good system, but it’s damn ugly.
Could anyone post some screenshot IRIX running pro-softwares?
Granted KDE looks better, but I think Irix is more functional in that is costum made for SGI hardware. Although I love KDE usb integration, it rocks.
Still is good to see good old Irix getting further refinements. Its GUI looked way better than many other GUIs at the time [in the 90’s] perhaps they should consider redoing the look of the GUI. After all they wanted to be Graphic Artist friendly, perhaps there is a shift now in market share.
Most graphics artists don’t spend all that much time on the desktop. Usually, they just use the few major programs that they need to work. As a result, the looks of the GUI really don’t matter.
PS> I read a story where some IT guy at ILM mentioned that one of their best artists was so scared of his desktop that he had the machine boot directly into XSI!
Of the OS I left behind….
Nah it was a great OS.. Still is.. I just don’t work at a place with SGIs anymore.
sniff
“I read a story where some IT guy at ILM mentioned that one of their best artists was so scared of his desktop that he had the machine boot directly into XSI!”
I know this story first hand to be true, I met the guy at San Rafael ILM, however the explenation could be found on chemicals use and abuse rather than UI design. 🙂
I’d had very little contact with Irix until recently. I’m starting to like it quite a bit. Sure, it’s not as pretty as some of the newer desktops, but it’s very functional, and the underlying OS is stable, if a bit weird to administer. 🙂
And the hardware is very nice, even older hardware. I think I’m getting to the point where I like it better than Sun stuff.
Irix is not a desktop environment, “IndigoMagic” is Irix/SGI native desktop environment… incidentally you can run any other Unix desktop env. that you may desire (KDE, Gnome, et al)
The “Indigo Magic Desktop” is being ported to Linux for those who are used to it.
http://5dwm.org/
Things have slowed a bit, but last I heard things were still going.
Me thinks i need to sign a support contract with SGI least that way i’m guaranteed all the new goodies for the next year (they do a new release every quarter)
My main machine is a dual 250mhz Octane with 1gb of RAM 🙂 , am only running IRIX 6.5.14m on it though.
They should merge with Apple. Sgi could make the backend stuff and Apple could produce an Aqua interface for it.
Hey Ralph,
It’s good to see all your work on the desktop finally hit production. I think I’ll have to get myself a copy of 6.5.22 for my O2.
Chris
Does anyone recall SGI as frightened when the original PowerPC was introduced? I remember going to a conference and they seemed all fluttered about Apple getting into RISC chips (blah blah blah, our’s is 3rd gen, theirs 1st)… I would’ve loved to be at a staff meeting when they heard of the NeXT acquisition and the utimate plans for the Unix base. The fact is that OS X went further in a shorter period of time than IRIX. SGI really is on a different page from Apple. If Apple and SGI merged, SGI would just be swallowed, and that ain’t right.
SGI should’ve increased development of IRIX when they heard Apple entering the market. They could’ve ported that to be a GUI for LINUX as well… Now that would be a viable alternative, with a GUI that has history.
I would have loved to have a SGI, but it just doesn’t seem appropriate any longer.
SGI! Sure movie studios use it to make ultra cool animations, but where is the x86 release! 😉
SGI opted to go with linux instead of proting irix to x86 – they did port some of their irix code to linux (XFS is the first and biggest that comes to mind), and they have a page for linux things: http://www.sgi.com/linux/
I don’t think irix should be ported to x86, they are dealing in a realm of higher-end computer (especially with altix) and probably need to focus more on hardware than on reinventing the wheel (or changing the wheel). I loved the SGI system I worked on (an indigo2, and a couple of Octanes) and would love to have one now just for the fact of having one!
Irix is a great OS, and I liked the gui…
You can get a decent enough octane on ebay for around US$500 if not less.
I bought my octane for about 600euro (sale was in sterling)
works like a charm, heck i’ve even spent more money on it since adding extra bits 😀
They really don’t even have a huge share in the movie industry anymore, nor have they made a profit in ages.
Their machines are slow for the price. It would be nice to the desktop ported to Linux, not so sure about all of IRIX.
Somebody sounds jealous of the expensive machines! Have you any proof of any of those claims, or are you just 100% sour apple/Linux zealot?
To me SGI looks like they’re doing okay. I’m not claiming they’re booming, but esp with the Altrix, it appears that they’re doing damn fine work and getting what they should out of it.
I’ve had nothing but great experiences with SGI and IRIX. I have a moderately fast PC (K7 1.2Ghz, 1.1GB RAM), but my old Octane from 1997 is still the one I work with 90% of the time. After getting familiar with the Unix environment, customizing the WM (4DWM) hotkeys and behavior, etc, I can’t find a more robust work environment. There is nothing out there on which I work faster & better, period. I can barely work at all on 2K/XP anymore, even though the CPU is faster. If IRIX is dropped in the future, I sure hope linux is up to par by then, with a 100% identical 4DWM clone (5DWM?).
*shrug*