Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!texbell!merch!cpe!adaptex!neese
From: neese@adaptex.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: OS/2 vs. Unix
Message-ID: <25400001@adaptex>
Date: 22 Mar 90 22:40:00 GMT
References: <117@psuvm.psu.edu>
Lines: 38
Nf-ID: #R:psuvm.psu.edu:117:adaptex:25400001:000:2003
Nf-From: adaptex.UUCP!neese    Mar 22 16:40:00 1990


>>OS/2 has a number of advantages over Unix for single user machines.  First
>>of all, it is designed for low powered machines like my IBM model 60 with
>>a 40M hard disk.  To get an equivalent Unix system, you would require not
>>only Unix, but also X-Window.  How well would that work on my Model-60?
>>
>Exactly!  I have a friend that has a 25MHz, cached 386 machine and
>uses a 32-bit UNIX with X-windows on a 1024 x 768 SUPER VGA.  It really is
>sad to see a $4500 machine have a $450 pc-xt performance!!!!!!

I really tried hard to stay out of this, but this was too much to take.  I
have run both OS/2 and UNIX.  To be usable, both require a lot of memory
and about the same amount of hard disk.  I can find no hardware resources
that the both don't need equal amounts of.  It is for this reason I will stick
with UNIX.  And if you get right down to it, you can do a lot more than
OS/2 can with XENIX on the same hardware.  I am talking about running
applications, which OS/2 has very few, but all of the ones that I have
used require a lot more memory than a XENIX application that does the
same function, maybe not as pretty, but just as functional.

And then you start adding stuff on top of both.  That is where things get
quite a bit different.  I can network UNIX systems together with about
4MB's of ram in my server.  It runs fine.  But OS/2 Lan Manager requires
4MB to boot and you shouldn't run with less than 8MB's of memory.  I know
memory is cheap, but it is just a comparison.

I am not pro OS/2 or pro UNIX.  I believe that both have a place in the
market.  It all depends on your needs.  For instance, I prefer UNIX for
development purposes, and I haven't quite found out why I need OS/2, but
that is just me.  The only reason I jumped into this fray, is due to
misinformation or misleading information.


			Roy Neese
			Adaptec Central Field Applications Engineer
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