Given that it's not so difficult to get yourself a bunch of Sun3 CPUs
all networked together and sitting in an aesthetically pleasing pile,
might it not be possible to implement some sort of load-balancing
scheme? After all, it's an almost perfectly homogenous processing
environment so it should be reasonably simple to automate the
distribution of the workload even if only in a pretty huge-grained sort
of way. It should at least be possible to spread the compilation task
around - how about it Rick, volunteer to be the official port-sun3
kernel compiler?

  This is a problem in the real world and that is distributed data =
processing.  it's actually a very complex process of trying to assemble =
and break down components of program over several systems.  I know =
people working on their Masters paper on this not to mention a few PhD =
students.  The concept is somewhat straight forward but getting to that =
point is and will be a hard and long process.  So don't expect it any =
time soon. =3D)  (I'm an undergrad also, and well what do i know right? =
=3D)

  If it is indeed (as you claim) easy to get a hold a several Sun 3 =
systems, then it is just as easy to set up several servers and assign =
each one to a specific task hence giving true multitasking with no =
restrictions execpt those placed on it by hardware.  I only have 1 which =
I'm still trying to set up, configure, and finding applications for it =
and so don't look at me  =3D),   An example of the above is what I do =
with my Sun 3/60, I'm basically using it as an x-client to my x-server =
under OS/2 (and to some extent Win95 like now).  I also use it to =
program unix "stuff" for school, and hopefully at one point use it to =
compile and write my latex files as well.  Inturn my current system is =
free to meet the high demands placed on it by me (ie I use it to surf =
the net, newsgroups, compile OS/2 or Win95 programs and still maintain a =
sense of a true multi-tasking environment and it is to some extent =
truely multi-platform also. =3D)

  As a suggestion if you do get several of them I could use a new =
keyboard since my old one is dead.  Otherwise the best suggestion is to =
get your Sun3s, beef up a couple of systems and use them as your severs, =
one as a file server and the other as your server for "compiling" things =
with, your work station can start up a remote xterm on each system and =
still share the same files by allowing the to share the File System.  =
it's a bit tricky to set up but when you're done the only difference is =
if one system dies, you still have another to back it up or replace =
without any affect on the rest of your work (unless it was teh NFS =
itself).  Think about it, if I had the room, money, and resources to get =
Sun3s then it's easy to have one interface system (it keyboard, monitor, =
mouse), and the rest stacked in the corner runnign along, althought it =
might be a good idea to give your local system it's own file system and =
teh remote ones harign them but it's even tricker to do this. =3D)

Eng-teck