Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:9537 comp.sys.ibm.pc:42357 comp.os.misc:1075
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!snorkelwacker!paperboy!husc6!m2c!jjmhome!cpoint!alien
From: alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.os.misc
Subject: Re: Seeking opinions on ESIX
Keywords: UNIX,XENIX,386
Message-ID: <3592@cpoint.UUCP>
Date: 19 Jan 90 14:37:07 GMT
References: <127@centaure.UUCP>
Reply-To: alien@cpoint.UUCP (Alien Wells)
Followup-To: comp.unix.xenix
Distribution: na
Organization: Clearpoint Research Corp., Hopkinton Mass.
Lines: 77

In article <127@centaure.UUCP> cliff@centaure.UUCP (Clifford Dibble) writes:
>I just received literature for a product called "ESIX System V", from ESIX
>Systems Inc. of Fremont, California. 

I'm using ESIX System V right now (actually, I'm rlogin'ed from ESIX to the
Motorolla Unix Sys V on our gateway machine that handles incoming news if 
you want to be precise).

>It's a Sys V 3.2 for the 386 with XENIX binary compatibility. 

More than that, it conforms to the 386 binary compatibility standard (whatever
it is called) so shrink-wrapped 386 Unix apps (which there aren't very many
of) will run just fine.

>It comes bundled with TCP/IP, RFS, X11.3, etc. Best
>of all, it's much cheaper than SCO! Their complete, "Software Development"
>package is only $595 for a 2-user license, or $825 for an unlimited
>license.

Hmmmm ... I'll have to check this.  I thought that we had paid a lot more.
Perhaps there are other things that we got with it ...

In addition to all the standard software, you can, of course, bring up any
standard Unix stuff you get elsewhere, like gnu tools, etc.

>I'd like to hear any opinions or comments -- especially from ESIX users.
>Thanx!

It is a reasonably competant Unix.  I am running it on a nice 25MHz 386 with
8MB memory (I wouldn't recommend less), a 300MB hard disk.  (You might be able
to get by on 100MB, but would recommend at least a 150MB.  One co-worker has
1.2GB and claims he needs it ... but I think that's a bit extreme ...), a 
cartridge tape drive, a 5 1/2" floppy drive, ethernet, vga card and color 
monitor, and extra com ports.  Entire system cost was about $5,000 for the 
hardware, which seemed reasonable.

On this, the Unix runs pretty snappily.  I have it set up with 8 virtual
terminals (switchable by hitting the ALT 1-8 keys) which is nice, I leave 
one as superuser, one hooked to the in-house VAX, one hooked to the Unix
gateway, and the others for local work.

You can get X for the machine, but it sucks.  Makes the machine look like
an XT with no hard disk.  Much too slow.  One of my co-workers insists on
doing it anyway ...

You can get all the appropriate software to make the system into a fully
compatible news and mail host.  One of my co-workers is set up for mail
at her machine, another has his home machine as both a mail and a news
host (in fact, we are feeding in from him until our internet connection
works).

You can also purchase things like a k-shell, dos-in-a-box (the standard
version only lets you have a dos partition, and do dosmv's to and from
it and reboot the machine if you want it to actually run a dos application),
and other goodies.  (Get the k-shell!  I don't consider Unix useable 
without it ...)

Because it conforms to the 386 binary compatible standard, you can get a
number of nice (for Unix) manuals to go with the system:
	AT&T UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2
		- User's Guide
		- Programmer's Guide (Vol I and II)
		- Programmer's Reference Manual
		- System Administrator's Guide
		- System Administrator's Reference Manual
They are about 1000 pages each, and cost us about $35.  You really do need
them all, there are frequent (but obscure) references from one to the other.
You can probably get them at the store you get the ESIX from.  If you aren't 
planning to do any programming on the machine, you can limit yourself to
the User's Guide and the System Administrator's Guide and Reference Manual.

As is usual with Unix, expect to take about 3 months setting your machine 
up unless you are an accomplished guru ... ;-)
-- 
--------|	I die ... you die ... we all die ...
Alien   |   		- the Heavy Metal movie
--------|     decvax!frog!cpoint!alien      bu-cs!mirror!frog!cpoint!alien