Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!texbell!merch!cpe!hal6000!trsvax!don
From: don@trsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Workstations as PCs?
Message-ID: <292200002@trsvax>
Date: 3 May 90 20:00:00 GMT
References: <23844@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Lines: 20
Nf-ID: #R:eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU:23844:trsvax:292200002:000:903
Nf-From: trsvax.UUCP!don    May  3 14:00:00 1990


> What would the limitations be to the wide-spread acceptance
> of RISC machines (SUN was just an example) as PC's?

The main reason I would not want to develop programs on a RISC machine is
because the debugging tools are limited when available.  In order to
debug under RISC, you need to turn off all optimization and execute the
instructions one at a time.  After you get it working, you can recompile
with optimization and *hope* it still works.

I realize I've been spoiled by MS-DOS debugging, but to develop good
applications in reasonable product cycles, low-level debugging is almost
a necessity.  If development time must increase dramatically, no one could
afford the software.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Don Subt			The opinions expressed above are
Tandy Corp.			strictly mine, not my employer's.

817-390-2923			...!texbell!letni!rwsys!trsvax!don