Work Station

The concept of a WorkStation has evolved gradually over the years.

Typically, it was a pizza box sized computer, running some flavor (pepperoni?;-) of Unix, with a display, a keyboard, and then a mouse. Later, networking was added, followed by the X protocol as a standard for putting windows on screens.

Of workstations that I've actually seen (I've seen SGI, Sun, IBM, and DEC machines), only Sun ships something that I would call a pizza box. Of non-workstation pizza box machines, I'd add Apple to the list.

Examples of pizza box machines: Sun 3/80, Sparcstation 1 through 20. SGI Indy. HP 712 line of PARisc machines. I've seen some small AIX machines, but in my opinion, pizza box isn't quite applicable. Pizzabox could describe certain Macs, ending with the 6100, but that line of Macs tended to be the worst ones available. I suppose some of those Macs may have been able to run AUX though.

These days, none of those RISC machines survive, the proprietary Unix variants they ran are either dead (IRIX) or open source (Solaris), and the current definition of a WorkStation appears to be "A computer too expensive and noisy (due to fans) to keep under your desk at home." It is, necessarily, a sliding scale: The rough equivalent of today's workstation will be sitting under a desk in your den in a relatively short order.

In modern times, workstations tend to be nothing but a notch up from the standard business PC product line. Entry-level PCs are capable of running even the bulkiest development tools, leaving the better computers to provide duplicity and conveniences. Ironically, a modern "workstation" is probably a computer with more or larger monitors and keyboards than other machines. This seems to be what distinguishes mine from the computers at home.

Enquiring after someone's "station in life" sounds kinda archaic and grand like it would be from one of those so-called CostumeDramas? about the trials and tribulations of the IdleRich of times past that the BBC keeps making because they sell so well in the US. (Don't ask me why, I fail to see the attraction). But there's nothing grand or rich about workstations in the IT sense (though decent CAD & Video workstations don't come cheap). Maybe someone in a Human Remains (HR) department somewhere decided that "terminal" was bad for morale.

Trivia

If a train station is where trains stop, then a work station must be where work stops! -- Anonymous

Yes, but a TrainStation? is also where a train starts...

And ... Express Trains don't stop at every train station ... they are up to getting where they are going expeditiously