@fedops @sotolf
So basically it had just enough processing power to interpret X11 graphics commands, and just enough VRAM to display it.
Pretty clever compromise for the hardware limitations of the 90s and maybe early naughties.
I remember my aunt had an all-in-one Sun workstation circa 1994 with a monochrome display that booted off of the network, but it had its own CPU and everything. Pretty dang sweet machine. My time hanging out with her there gave me a love for #OpenLook / #OpenWindows that continues unabated today, even though it was in fairness a somewhat clunky GUI. Dang sharp, though.
As I recall, everyone got hard disks for local storage and booting soon after. I'm guessing their network wasn't up to snuff for diskless workstations. ^___^