Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!amdahl!pacbell!indetech!fiver!palowoda
From: palowoda@fiver.UUCP (Bob Palowoda)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Dell UNIX System w/Motif (was Re: ENIX V.3.2 info)
Message-ID: <139@fiver.UUCP>
Date: 21 Aug 89 09:49:27 GMT
References: <2873@dell.dell.com>
Organization: Fiver Communications  Fremont, Ca
Lines: 53

From article <2873@dell.dell.com>, by james@raid.dell.com (James Van Artsdalen):
> In <133@fiver.UUCP>, palowoda@fiver.UUCP (Bob Palowoda) wrote:
> 

>> This is ok, just as long as you don't lock the software to any
>> of the hardware you sell. Bell Tech. did that with one of
>> there tape drive interfaces and it really piss**  off alot
>> of there customers. 
> 
> Keep in mind that Dell is primarily a hardware vendor, and that the
> unix offering is a vehicle for selling more Dell hardware.  The intent
> is not to support every known variant on a keyboard/mouse/CRT, but to
> have a unix that supports the hardware that we sell very well.
> 
> There will always be software vendors who sell generic unix that
> supports the least common demoninator among PCs.  By aiming at a
> narrower range of hardware (ie, what we sell), we can achieve a higher
> level of optimization than if we were to make the product all things
> with all hardware.

   Whoa there. What I meant to say is that Bell Tech. in fact
   made a hardware change to there tape drive that only worked
   with there modified version of there device driver. You 
   give any indication to the public that you customize your 
   software for your hardware you might scare them away. Sure
   optimization is good, but if your going to sell on that
   the users wait until some magazine benchmarks your product. 
   
   I see nothing wrong with useing UNIX to value add and increase
   there hardware sales. Seems to be alot more companies doing it.
   What's more impressive is when you see a company like Everex
   that list's all the hardware there version of 386 UNIX runs on.
   But useing many other versions of 3.2 there is very little 
   hardware that it dosn't run on any longer. 

   So what did Dell do to optimize there software that's the big plus?


>> Will a DOS session that is started with VPIX run inside one
>> of the Xwindows, wiether it be TWM (Toms Window Manager) or
>> the Motiff Window Manger?
> 
> VP/ix runs just fine under with Motif and TWM (I just tested it).
  
  All right!

---Bob
 
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