Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!csc.anu.oz.au!pfr654
From: pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: UNIX is yuck (was Re: Next intro...)
Message-ID: <1990Oct8.091751.3053@csc.anu.oz.au>
Date: 7 Oct 90 23:17:49 GMT
References: <4737@crash.cts.com> <2867@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM> <1990Oct6.172357.18366@smsc.sony.com>
Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University
Lines: 42

In article <1990Oct6.172357.18366@smsc.sony.com>, dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) writes:
> In article <2867@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM> ngg@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM (Norman Goodger) writes:
>>
>>	Where is it that Apple and NeXT are in any serious 
>>	competition with each other? (In ego perhaps) but
>>	Joe Average is not going to run out and buy a Unix
>>	box. If you think they are, Why can't you buy a Sun
>>	or other Unix box at the local computer store? (outside Xenix)
> 
> Could it have anything to do with price?  Because of various design
> decisions, Unix machines require more memory and disk space than
> Macs and PCs running MS-DOS, and do better in systems that can
> support virtual memory.  Two years ago, memory was selling for
> $250 per meg (not listing, *selling*), hard disks were physically
> large for less space and cost twice as much as now, and VM micros
> were just starting to drop in price.
> 
>

I am a long time Mac user and have just recently had to learn some UNIX for 
a Decstation 3100.

IT IS HORRIBLE!

UNIX is an ancient operating system! Invented in the time of dinasour 
computers with less power than a Mac Plus!!

It may have some multitasking/virtual memory features that the MacOS does 
not have at present, but when the Mac gets there it will blow UNIX away!

I know that UNIX can be made to do just about anything, and that Apple's 
A/UX can now run 32 bit clean Mac programs in a Mac-like manner, BUT if you 
are forever putting nice front ends onto an OS why not start at the start 
and have a nice OS (from the user's point of view anyway)?

I know that if I had $10k to spend on a personal system, I would buy a 
high-end Mac; $20k and I MIGHT be persuaded to get A/UX as well.
*====*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*
Phil Ryan                                         
ANU Department of Physics and Theoretical Physics 
Canberra, Australia                               
pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au   phone:(61 6) 249 4678   fax:(61 6) 249 0741