Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen
From: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Why a 386sx?
Message-ID: <1972@sixhub.UUCP>
Date: 29 Sep 90 22:56:45 GMT
References: <12833@encore.Encore.COM>
Reply-To: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (bill davidsen)
Organization: *IX Public Access UNIX, Schenectady NY
Lines: 28

In article <12833@encore.Encore.COM> elliot@xenna.encore.com writes:

|                                      I would not be using it for software
| development, rather this would be for running business-type applications,
| specifically Excel for Windows and PowerPoint (or some other combination
| of tools for analysis and presentations).  

| Everyone is saying that 32 bits is the way to go, but I am not convinced.
| In general, I'd be trading off 32-bit-ness for speed and $$ (which
| can be used for 4MB memory, etc.).  Is this
| a religious argument, or is there really a GOOD reason to get into a 386sx

  Three good reasons to buy a 386: Desqview, Windows, PharLap. More
applications are giving up on the limitations of 640k and 16 bit
instructions and using the full power of the 386. If you buy a 286 you
will lock yourself out of newer versions of software, particularly since
the packages which will go that way first are the business packages you
mention.

  Why buy something which is obsolete? The SX will run the same packages
as the DX and 486, but the 286 is only useful for today's software, and
not all of that. Even things like PKZIP run faster on a 386 than the
same speed 286, because they use the 32 bit instructions.
-- 
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me