Because the report is so comparitively old, many things referred to are out-of-date or no longer true, usually because changes that occured after 1994 invalidate various statements.

Areas not covered by the report include:

• the later 250MHz R4400SC, 175MHz R10000 and 195MHz R10000 CPUs, and the 90MHz R8000 chip set.

• the release of IMPACT series graphics and associated products such as IMPACT Video and IMPACT Compression,

• the relevance of Indy by way of comparison, or any mention (naturally) of O2, Octane, etc.,

• later operating system releases such as IRIX 6.2 and IRIX 6.5,

• changes to software products such as enhancements to IRIS Inventor, ImageVision, OpenGL, IndigoMagic, and dozens of other products, especially the various language compilers.

I believe the report's main value is to offer a detailed insight into the nature of the XL, XZ and Extreme graphics architectures, and a thorough description of the overall design of the Indigo2 workstation. It should also be a valuable resource for anyone learning how computer graphics works, as well as a good point of reference for those new to SGIs (eg. the description of the IndigoMagic user environment and associated software products such as the IRIS Digital Media Tools).

Since the report does not mention post-1994 SGI products such as IMPACT graphics and the R10000, please refer to other parts of my site for information on later products that can be used with Indigo2. Relevant items include the IMPACT graphics performance figures in the graphics performance tables, IMPACT Video and IMPACT Compression data sheets, IMPACT Application Briefs, 195MHz R10000 data, comparison to O2, comparison to Octane, and useful information on IMPACT graphics systems. There are other items too, but these are the main ones.

I hope you find the report interesting, and may I strongly recommend you study the HolliDance Benchmark page afterwards for some interesting insights into how XZ, Elan and Extreme graphics systems perform in certain real-world situations, compared to other new and old SGI systems (you may be in for a surprise). If you're contemplating buying a 2nd-hand SGI, perhaps an Indigo2 or an Indy, the HolliDance page is well worth reading.