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From: kaleb@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Kaleb Keithley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Coherent ... A Toy
Message-ID: <4024@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>
Date: 13 Jun 90 16:15:42 GMT
References: <4446@uwm.edu>
Sender: news@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
Reply-To: kaleb@mars.UUCP (Kaleb Keithley)
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Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
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In article <4446@uwm.edu> burkett@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Edward W Burkett) writes:
>
>We just received Coherent and it is a cute little TOY but as it stands
>that's all it is since you are limited to 640K, most of which is used by
>the operating system itself.  We were lead by the company to believe that it
>supported swapping and virtual memory. It definitely does not yet
>they compare it to SCO Xenix 286.  The manual clearly says that it will not
>work in 386 protected mode, why doesn't the company?
>
>* I wrote:
>*
>* Coherent is a multi-tasking OS, includes a compiler that generates working
>* code, and no doubt a whole slew of tools that make any flavor of DOS on a PC
>* look like a Commodore Pet.
>
>What's the point of having a multi-tasking OS that has a whole slew of tools
>if you don't have any room in memory to run REAL applications.  I guess if
>you just wanted to learn *NIX by PLAYING, it makes for a nice trainer.
>

Let me qualify that;  (note: I have no affiliation with MWC)  How much
utility did M'soft provide with DOS 1.0.  How much utility did IBM provide
with 128K of memory.  Where's the C compiler on the MS/PC DOS distribution
disk.  If all products were judged on the long term utility of their first
release, then where would M'soft, IBM, et al. be now?  

Besides, if I was faced with trying to get on an overloaded university computer 
to write my 50 line lab assignment, I might find Coherent to be just the thing 
for me.  As it happens, I'm not, so I probably won't.

>* Mark Williams comes along and gives you a compiler in the deal, and all you
>* can do is bitch!
>
>Come on .... it`s a toy.

So was 128K IBM PC, by todays standards.  The bitching that I hear relates
to three things: no large memory model, no paging, and no swapping.  For
$99 you expected more than a toy?  From what I've heard, for $99 you get
quite a lot.  Let's see, DOS 4.01 -- $85, Turbo/Quick C, $75-95.  Windows
3.0, (for multi-tasking) I don't know what it really is, but let's say it's
$75.  Getting pretty close to $300.  Or you could go the OS-2 route: $350 +
M'soft Optimizing Compiler -- $350; over $700.  How about any of the full
blown system V system.  My copy of ESIX cost $800.  If I were to even
consider Coherent (and I have considered buying it) would I expect the same
level of features for $99 as I would for $800?  No, I don't think so!  Maybe
that's why I paid $800 for ESIX?

>* Take your snivel rags home and give it a rest will'ya.  If you don't want
>* it, then shut up.  Keep using DOS, see if I care!
>
>Shut-up! Hmmmm .... If we can save a lot of people the headaches that I and
>others went through purchasing something that doesn't do what we expected it
>to do I think I'll voice my opinion just like YOU did.  That's the beauty of
>a free country :-)

OK, I think we've communicated to the world that Coherent doesn't have a
large memory model, doesn't page, and doesn't swap.  I've posted news about
products that I thought were a) a rip-off, and b) a poor value too.  But now 
I'm tired of pressing 'n' on twenty or thirty articles because some other 
dis-satisfied customers just found out it doesn't have a large memory model.


kaleb@thyme.jpl.nasa.gov            Jet Propeller Labs
Kaleb Keithley

"So that's what an invisible barrier looks like"