Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!alberta!calgary!cpsc!cliff
From: cliff@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Cliff Marcellus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mips
Subject: Re: RC2030-M/120-M/200 MIPS Impressions
Message-ID: <1881@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP>
Date: 4 Oct 89 04:04:23 GMT
References: <1350@fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov>
Sender: news@calgary.UUCP
Lines: 40
Keywords: RC2030, RISC/os, MIPS Support
Summary: RS2030 workstation

In article <1350@fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov>, adam@ncifcrf.gov (Adam W. Feigin) writes:
> I'm looking into getting a workstation for my desk, and I'm
> considering the RC2030 (maybe its the RC3030 now ??) and perhaps a
> M/120 or M/200 Fileserver for our group. I've had no dealings with
> MIPS in the past, so I'm interested in hearing from people who have
> these beasties, and what they think about them, more specifically:

  You mean RS2030?  Good choice

> 
> 1) How is MIPSCo support, both HW and SW ??

  So far so good - I haven't received any s/w updates yet, but over the
  past 2 months that I've had my RS2030's -- the h/w support and telephone
  s/w support have been great.  My only REAL complaint is that I'm STILL
  waiting for my documentation sets!!!!  

> 2) I come from the 4.3 world, will I end up despising RISC/os like I despise
> AIX ??
   
    I too come from a 4.3BSD world (actually 4.1b, 4.1c, 4.2, and 4.3) and
    I do like RISC/os -- it's enough BSD to be comfortable, but I do have
    to admint, there are still many things from BSD that I would like
    (eg. disc quotas).  Oh well - maybe RISC.os 4.20 (...)

> 3) How reliable are the machines ??

  Hard to say - I've had several h/w problems at the start, but that is
  to be expected with a new machine -- only time will tell.

> 4) I have heard that they are great performers..How do they compare to
> similar machines from other vendors ?? (DS3100, SS1)

  Far superior the DS3100!! (and less expensive)  Our benchmarks (home grown)
  showed that the DS3100 was roughly 30% slower in floating point operations...

Cliff Marcellus                UUCP     : {any backbone}!calgary!ssg-vax-a!cliff
Institute for Space Research   DOMAIN   : cliff@ssg-vax-a.phys.UCalgary.CA
Dept of Physics and Astronomy  SPAN     : CANCAL::CLIFF
The University of Calgary                 "If it's not fun, don't do it!"