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From: chris@mimsy.umd.edu (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Re: Why use U* over VMS
Message-ID: <27041@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 18 Oct 90 05:40:09 GMT
References: <16438@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 32

In article <16438@shlump.nac.dec.com> heintze@fmcsse.enet.dec.com
(Siegfried Heintze) writes:
[much about tools deleted]
>So, assuming VAXset is part of the VMS environment, what makes U* better?
>(Feel free to answer in the context of "money is of no concern" as well as
>"money is significant").

If one assumes that money is significant, a simple answer turns up,
one which has little to do with availability of tools (though some to
do with their prices).  That answer is this:

	DEC uVAX 3 with VMS: cost approximately US$15,000; speed around
		5 or 6 Meaningless Indicators of Processor Speed.

	Any SPARC or MIPS system with UNIX: cost approxmately US$5,000;
		speed around 20 Meaningless Indicators of Processor Speed.

The MIPS numbers are extremely slippery, and the costs above are
far too `rounded', but it is now clear that Unix boxes cost less and
run faster than VMS boxes.  The money saved can be spent on buying
or developing production tools if necessary, and the result is a
system that runs about four times faster.  You can get a faster VMS
machine by throwing more money at the problem, but you can also get
a faster Unix machine the same way.  For the price of a VAX 9000
system you can probably buy an Amdahl or a couple of dozen MIPS 6280s
(the MIPS 6280 system being between 55 and 65 Meaningless IPS).

This is, of course, a relatively recent development, but certainly an
important one.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 405 2750)
Domain:	chris@cs.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris