Hasty Briefsbeta

IRIX Introduction

14 days ago
  • #SGI
  • #IRIX
  • #Operating System
  • IRIX was initially developed for SGI systems, starting with the IRIS line of terminals and workstations.
  • The earliest common version was 4D1-3.0 in 1988, based on UNIX System V Release 3 with 4.3BSD enhancements.
  • IRIX 5.0, released in 1993, incorporated features from UNIX System V Release 4 and introduced ELF-format executables.
  • IRIX 6.0, released in 1994, added full 64-bit support.
  • The final IRIX release was 6.5.30 in August 2006, with support continuing until at least December 2013.
  • Key versions include IRIX 5.3 (last for R3000 CPUs), IRIX 6.2 (first to support all current hardware), and IRIX 6.5.22 (last for many classic systems).
  • IRIX 6.5.30 is the final release, suitable for the last MIPS-based Silicon Graphics systems.
  • Choosing the right IRIX version depends on system family, processor, graphics hardware, and specific driver requirements.
  • Platform-specific releases exist, often not supporting all available hardware at the time.
  • Recommendations for specific systems include using the most recent IRIX version possible, with exceptions for older hardware.