Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen
From: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: World's Cheapest Unix Engine
Message-ID: <2329@crdos1.crd.ge.COM>
Date: 9 Jul 90 14:03:48 GMT
References: <78-3JC2@ggpc2.ferranti.com> <2748@skye.ed.ac.uk> <31093@cup.portal.com> <457@bench.sublink.ORG>
Reply-To: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.com (bill davidsen)
Organization: GE Corp R&D Center, Schenectady NY
Lines: 65

In article <457@bench.sublink.ORG> silos@bench.sublink.ORG (Paolo Pennisi) writes:

| Are we talking Unix engine or DOS ?
| How can you compare an handicapped version of a chip whose father and
| grandfather are crippled 16 bit segmented processor, a chip which spends
| a lot of its silicon to implement compatibility with those dark ages
| cpu to a real 32bit, semi Harvard, data and instruction cache processor,
| with a real 32 bit data bus a a real 32bit address bus, support for multipro
| cessing and more.

  You're stuck in an infinite loop here. You can't compare the 68k with
a Cray, either. The objective is to build a UNIX engine capable of doing
useful work and running a 32 bit version of a modern O/S. The price
point is that the color system with X will be competitive in price with
a color X terminal.

  Since the only low prices UNIX around is V.3.2 (and maybe V.4 soon)
for the 386, that is the choice. Since the cost of the DX chip is
artificially high (I would bet the manufacturing and development cost is
within 10% of the SX) the SX is the only practical choice.

| Sure, if we want to build the smaller and cheapest Unix engine we could also
| use a Z8001 or a 80286 or whatever... maybe some crippled version III could
| run also on a Z80.

  Read the original article and the above. You're changing the
objective. Those processors would cost a lot more because there is no
mass production of systems and vendor competition to keep the price
down.

| The 68030 is definetly superior, more bangs per buck, even not including
| the FPU. The 68882 is surely better than a 387DX, not to mention the 387SX.
| And it costs definetly less!

  If you can deliver a system complete with color display and software
for $3000 I will agree. Until then I think you're dreaming. This is not
a perfect workstation, it's a color X terminal which is also a free
standing UNIX system. Wish I could include the development set for $3k,
but it doesn't look good.

                        If anyone wants to help

  When I find vendors for all this stuff I intend to sell for cost
(counting $100 as cost to assemble, burnin, and install UNIX). I will
make the list of vendors available to anyone, in hopes that
"competition" will drive the price down and put me out of business.
Since I'm doing this to make a point, rather than make money, I'd be
glad to have someone else make the pittance. If you or your club or
organization want to build some of these drop me a line and I'll send
the vendor list when I get the final configuration.

  If you know if a good system which will run UNIX, or a good
motherboard, or VGA display, hard disk, whatever, let me know! I want
current production rather than remnants, so other people and clubs can
build these systems. Please tell me about stuff which you have actually
used, rather than ads. I have a pile of once used motherboards, disk
controllers, and VGA cards, all of which are great for DOS and don't sun
UNIX.

  If you can get a UNIX with NFS and X for less than Open DeskTop ($995)
let me know. ESIX + NFS is slightly higher than that by the prices I got
from Everex and ISC.
-- 
bill davidsen	(davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM -or- uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen)
            "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me