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From: xrtnt@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Nigel Tzeng)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Info on new low-end Mac
Message-ID: <2889@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: 24 Jul 90 18:06:09 GMT
References: <1810@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> <13035@yunexus.YorkU.CA>
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In article <13035@yunexus.YorkU.CA>, pmcd@yunexus.yorku.ca (Phil McDunnough) writes...
^In article <1810@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes:
^>In <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.
^>
^>Well, they aren't, yet, that low cost, unless he's talking LIST for the 3000
^>and some educational pricing for the SLC. He would also be talking about a
^>diskless desktopper.
^ 
^Well I suggest you talk to Sun. They are that low. Yes I am talking about
^a SLC without a HD, but with the SunOS,SCSI,serial,Ethernet,large monitor.

Eh?  $3000 SLC with a "large" monitor?  Monochrome and non-graphics I presume.
You ARE neglecting the cost for a server are you not?  I also do not believe
that it would come with a SCSI as it would be a real stripped system.  Having a
SCSI on a diskless workstation is basically a waste and just extra cost to the
user if he never intends to upgrade.

I'd really like to see your price breakdown and order numbers.  My GSA prices
(presumably much higher than the ed discounts) don't come close.  I don't
have the GSA price book in front of me but I recall looking at them when I was
pricing the SGI stuff.

^SCSI hards disks are relatively cheap, and we have a source licence for
^UNIX, as you do. Since we are talking educational pricing here, the Sun
^will turn out to be less than an Amiga 3000 with a 100meg HD(that's not
^large by the way). Moreover you will have to add Ethernet, Unix( will you
^get only the binaries?),etc...to the A3000. In the end you end up with a
^computer which may be more "fun" than a Sparc but one which doesn't
^compare with the Sun powerwise. Try looking at the Mflops' rating. The
^68882 is not the greatest floating point coprocessor around. In any case
^it is an issue of software. The Amiga just doesn't have that at the moment,
^except for very specialized cases.

Excuse me but an Ami running S5R4 will have approximately the same software
base as a diskless Sun (give some for Sun specific take some back for the Ami
specific stuff).  More considering that the Ami will have rudimentary 
color graphic capability (wimpy as workstations go but then the Ami isn't a
workstation).

^>
^Philip McDunnough
^University of Toronto
^philip@utstat.toronto.edu
^[my opinions]

Me thinks you exaggerate.  I like Suns but somehow I doubt they are quite as
cheap as you claim.  $4000 for the diskless system you describe I can believe.
$3000?  Let's see the hard numbers instead of this vague handwaving.

NT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   // | Nigel Tzeng - STX Inc - NASA/GSFC COBE Project
 \X/  | xrtnt@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov
      | 
Amiga | Standard Disclaimer Applies:  The opinions expressed are my own.