Path: utzoo!attcan!ncrcan!aimed!nick
From: nick@aimed.UUCP (Nick Pemberton)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: PICK, UniVerse, Unix and what-have you (info request)
Keywords: PICK UNIX
Message-ID: <8505@aimed.UUCP>
Date: 29 Sep 90 15:15:06 GMT
References: <605@eds1.UUCP>
Reply-To: nick@aimed.UUCP (Nick Pemberton)
Distribution: comp
Organization: AIM Inc, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 81

In article <605@eds1.UUCP> jdm1@eds1.UUCP (Jon McCown) writes:
>	1-	How usable, stable, maintainable and scalable is PICK
>		(generally) and what (if anything) changes when a non-
>		native (such as Pick under Unix) implementation is used.

Pick is probably one of the easiest O/S's to maintain. It is too simple
to really run into the kinds of troubles you typically see when machines
run out of disk space, out of power etc.  The installation is equally
simple (I recently set a machine up from scratch - new disk - it took
one tape, a few easy questions, and 1 hour of whirring to do it).

It is highly portable, if (like any OS) you stick to the vanilla stuff. I
have moved code easily between ADDS, ULTIMATE, PICK SYSTEMS and PRIME with
no trouble. 

Scalability really depends on the vendor. Some are and some aren't. The O/S
certainly provides for it.

It is extremely stable. Our development (!) machine has not been down in
two years, except when we moved our office. Our client machines have even
better records.

When you move to a non native, like VMARK/UNIVERSE, there are naturally
plenty of things that change. It is, after all, then just a guest O/S.
That having been said, VMARK so far has caused me no grief, save certain
UNIX restrictions (like files not being able to span devices). Again, if
the PICK code is reasonably vanilla, it will have no trouble moving to
a Non-native implementation.

>
>	2-	What vendors would you/would you not recommend for PICK
>		and (can be general) reasons for recommendation.
>

Wow. Loaded question! We currently *highly* favour the ADDS/NCR line,
they have what I consider one of the best Implementations, their machines
are very stable (they are based on the NCR tower line), and their
solution to UNIX/PICK is exactly how I believe the blend should be done.
See my earlier posting for details...

Incidently, since PICK is so much simpler then UNIX, it takes far less
horsepower then UNIX. Thus a 7 Mips machine (like the NCR Tower 700
series) is a real screamer in PICK. We have 80 users hanging off one
such machine, using good ol' Wyse 50 terminals, and they can't
get ahead of the machine. The IBM RISC 6000 should be something to
see - since there is I believe a native PICK for it. You'd have to check
with PICK systems on that.

We have in the past dealt with ULTIMATE and PRIME. Ultimate is a native
implementation, PRIME is not (although I'd rather avoid that argument
for the moment.)

We are presently looking at the new BULL DPX series, running Vmark. We've
yet to actually see one working, although we are told its RSN.

>	3-	Where can a small (cheap?) Pick environment be gotten
>		for experimentation and testing? (Can be PC type for testing)
>

You can get PICK for the PC. Your best bet is a 386 though, since a 286
can't handle the virtual memory scheme as well. ADDS and PICK Systems are
the two offerings that I've used. PICK systems has the better price,
ADDS has the better product.

Contact PICK systems for a vendor near you, or ADDS. I can provide the
numbers if you need them.

>I have been reading Pick-World and a couple of texts on the system  
>(describing Pick in 'glowingly lovely detail'), but what I really want
>to know is if you now use/maintain a Pick system-- would you do it over?

No question. It is a wonderfull Database system, rugged, and reasonably
full featured within its intended realm. Remember, PICK is not the answer
to all things - It is targetted at data management for business, and is
thus missing certain fundamentals - like decent communications. Thats
what the PICK/UNIX combinations are meant to solve.

-- 
Nick Pemberton  		 uucp: !{lsuc, uunet!mnetor}!aimed!nick
AIM, Inc			  bus: (416) 429-1085
Toronto, Ontario, Canada         Home: (416) 690-0647