Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!rutgers!bellcore-2!bellcore!cellar.bae.bellcore.com!louie
From: louie@cellar.bae.bellcore.com (Paul Louie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: S/36 info sought
Message-ID: <27292@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: 27 Sep 90 15:40:01 GMT
Sender: news@bellcore.bellcore.com
Reply-To: louie@cellar.bae.bellcore.com (Paul Louie)
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Lines: 28

In article <2149@nyx.UUCP>, cpolishe@nyx.UUCP (Chuck Polisher) writes:

>I'm looking for a comparison of the IBM S/36 to 386/486 based
>systems.  Whetstones, Dhrystones, MIPS, even clock speed would
>be helpful.  Thanks 1E6.

Well Chuck,

You are not serious with this question are you.  This is not even like
comparing apples to oranges.  It is more like comparing apples to rocks.
Besides the fact that S/36 can come in many models and configurations, and
depending on how you put all these factors together you can have a PC like
performance to one that can do serious work, like running a warehouse 
distribution system.

Simply, the S/36 is designed as a small general business machine in a 
multi-users environment.  It has greater flexibility in terms of hooking
peripherrals, like remote terminal controllers and printers, disks, tapes,
and yes, PC LAN interface too.  While a 386/486, even with a multitasking
O/S installed like UNIX, is meant to be for a single user (workstation).
I know some can argue that you can make this into a multiuser systems by
attaching async terminals (Wyse 50, VT100, IBM 3101) to the PC.  All I can
say is that try it and see how great it works.

Now, I know of a outfit that make a S/36 emulator, called Baby 36, that
runs on 286/386/486.  But, this is a different subject.

Paul