Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!psuvax1!wuarchive!decwrl!sun-barr!lll-winken!cs!schweige
From: schweige@cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Info on new low-end Mac
Message-ID: <1121@cs.nps.navy.mil>
Date: 23 Jul 90 18:34:26 GMT
References: <26401@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <1990Jul22.011427.1065@utstat.uucp> <13353@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1990Jul23.000142.26294@utstat.uucp> <1119@cs.nps.navy.mil> <7904@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Reply-To: schweige@cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA
Lines: 46

In article <7904@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> bgribble@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Bill Gribble) writes:
>In article <1119@cs.nps.navy.mil> schweige@cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger) writes:
>
>>A 12.5 mips (MIPS - sometimes referred to as 'meaningless indicator of processor
>>speed' :-)  ) Sparcstation 1 for less than $3039 (US) (price of A3000/25-40
>>package on the US educational purchase program), this sounds interesting...
>>I know that the lower end Sparcstations (and Sparcstation clones) are getting
>>less expensive, but I hadn't heard it was that cheap.


>But, as has been mentioned before, try checking out a Sun software price 
>  list.  Let's see - a nice raytrace package like Sculpt or Silver.. some
>  math software like Maple.. a good DTP program.. how's $50k sound?  Now
>  that $3000 Amiga looks a little more attractive than that "$3000" Sparc,
>  doesn't it?

Actually, I don't believe that Sun software is quite as expensive as you
think.  One contract I could possibly use as an ordering vehicle bundles 
SunOS 4.0.x with Sunview, NFS, Assembler, Open Windows (X11/NeWS), C and
FORTRAN compilers for about $1100.  The Ada compiler would be about $1600,
Informix RDBMS for about $800, and the SunPHIGs graphics development package
for about $1100.  Framemaker licences appear to be available in the $300-$500
price range.  Obviously, this is a bit more expensive than I would spend for
Amiga software.

>Of course, that price guess could be way out of line - I've never bought
>  any Sun sware - but from what I've heard it's pretty ballpark.  I still
>  think an a3000 with Ethernet or something comparable and Unix looks
>  like the most attractive X/Unix terminal for my poor-college-student 
>  dollar.
>
>                                           Bill.

Actually, I agree, and always did.  My digression was out of curiosity.  I
certainly do not desire to compare Amigas to SPARCStations, and I don't think
C= would either (at least with the currently released machines, I don't know
about the future).  The machines have different capabilities, and aren't really
in the same market niche (IMHO).

Jeff Schweiger

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Jeff Schweiger	      Standard Disclaimer   	CompuServe:  74236,1645
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