Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ucla-cs!ucivax!zardoz.cpd.com!dhw68k!felix!arcturus!evil From: evil@arcturus.uucp (Wade Guthrie) Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386 Subject: Choosing a 386 unix -- SUMMARY (long) Message-ID: <1990Nov29.164641.13902@arcturus.uucp> Date: 29 Nov 90 16:46:41 GMT Organization: Rockwell International Lines: 308 Okay, here is a repost/summary of the responses to the "which Unix" question. I have received a few responses, and they have been incorporated here. I feel that the description is still insufficient, so I again ask for updates. Please feel free to follow-up or reply with changes. Guys! Gals! If you have an ammendment to this strawman -- **SEND IT** I IMPLORE you. I invite vendors to add to the advantages of their own product (and other people's products, if they wish). I propose the following: ---------------------- first, a KEY: Price: should be the price for which the company itself sells the product (street prices may be lower), but no guarantee that this is not the street price. Only a 2-user price is provided for most. (base) This is the price for a runtime system (development) This is the price for the C compiler, etc. Each vendor may treat this a little differently. (text) This is the price for nroff, etc. (complete) This is the price for the whole shebang. It is only shown when the other packages are not sold unbundled. Minimum Config: represents the hardware needed to support operation of this software product. Alternates are presented in parenthesis, recommended expansions on the minimum are noted by "rec." in parens. For example, for systems that operate with an 80386 but an 80486 is the recomended configuration, the entry will be 386 (486 rec.) systems that can use EGA, VGA, Super VGA (800x600) or Extended VGA (1024x768), the entry will be (E,V,SV,EV)GA; systems that can use either the ISA (AT) bus, the EISA bus, or the Microchannel bus, the entry will be (E)ISA, MCA. ---------------------- Vendor: Everex Product: ESIX 3.2 Contact info: uunet!zardoz!everex!jde (415) 683-ESIX Price: complete (*): $825 * Includes unlimited user, development system, network, xwindows Minimum Config: Support: Free lifetime (currently). reported to be pretty good Documentation: no on-line man pages poor paper documentation (costs extra too) File System: fast file system (not Berkely?) Drivers: Networking: TCP/IP runtime and development and STREAMS bundled X11 Support: X11R3 client and server is bundled, Motif is extra MS-DOS Support: Miscellaneous: inexpensive upgrade policy no EISA or MCA ---------------------- Vendor: Intel Product: UNIX System V 3.2 Contact info: (800) 548-4725 Price: base (2 user): $595 development: $665 Minimum Config: (3,4)86; ISA, SCSI; 4MB mem; 40MB disk Support: Documentation: File System: Drivers: various Tape, (E,V,EV)GA, SCSI, ESDI, Ethernet Networking: RFS, Streams, Network Services Extension, Open Systems Networking Interfaces; $695: NFS; $495: TCP/IP X11 Support: $495: supports Hercules, (C,E,V)GA MS-DOS Support: $895: Merge/386 Miscellaneous: full/real AT&T unix ---------------------- Vendor: Interactive Corporation Product: 386ix 2.2 Contact info: support@isc.com (213) 453-8649 Price: base (2 user): $495 development: $795 text: $395 Minimum Config: 386; ISA, MCA, Multibus; 2MB mem (4MB rec.); 5.25, 3.5 floppy; ?MB disk Support: (reportedly) NOT good. 30 days free, after that, its $600/year (Interactive provides free support if you buy it from them, and will support by mail, even if you don't pay the big bux). Documentation: File System: Sys V accelerated with a bitmap of free/used blocks in memory. Drivers: HPDD - Very good disk and tape support, including SCSI 2.2 SCSI drivers have extremely good performance (especially with bus mastering controllers.) Sun River Fiber Optic workstation driver Ethernet: MICOM Interlan or StarLAN Networking: $495: TCP/IP, Sockets, TELNET, FTP X11 Support: $795 ($295 X11 runtime): Xlib, XT toolkit, EGA thru' Matrox hi-res color. Reportedly best performing in 386 market. $495 ($295 runtime): Motif $595: Looking Glass (X11 desktop). MS-DOS Support: DOS/UNIX file transfer utilities, directly access MS-DOS filesystem; $495: VP/ix (2-user) Miscellaneous: Support for AT, MCA, Multibus busses includes C-shell and Sendmail upgrade policy ($700 to upgrade a $3000 system) ---------------------- Vendor: Mark Williams Company Product: Coherent Contact info: (800) MARK WMS Price: base: $99.95 Minimum Config: (2,3)86; ISA (NO MCA) Support: Documentation: A single manual. Pretty good for $99 File System: Drivers: won't work on systems w/ SCSI or ESDI Controllers Networking: X11 Support: MS-DOS Support: Miscellaneous: C compiler, uucp, yacc/lex bundled, executables limited to 64K really only a 286 product ---------------------- Vendor: Microport Product: System V/386 R4 Contact info: ?@mport.com (800) FOR-UNIX or (408) 438-8649 Price: base: $329 (or $500?) development: $598 (includes Korn shell) text: $259 complete: ($1500 ?) Minimum Config: (2,3)86; ISA; 1.5MB mem (640K for 286); ?MB disk; Support: Documentation: File System: Drivers: Networking: $299: Network Services Extention X11 Support: MS-DOS Support: $399: DOSMerge (2-user) Miscellaneous: Saw in ad: Distribution Royalties Apply full/real AT&T unix ---------------------- Vendor: Prentice-Hall Product: MINIX 1.5 Contact info: books@prenhall.com (800) 624-0023 or (201) 767-5969 Price: complete (3 user): $169 Minimum Config: (-,2,3)86; 512MB mem; (C,E)GA, herc, mono; floppy (hard rec) Support: Documentation: File System: Drivers: Networking: Distributed computing on Ethernet (remote login, etc.) X11 Support: MS-DOS Support: Miscellaneous: no AT&T UNIX code. delivered with source code Versions are also available for the Atari ST, Macintosh, and Amiga. Kernighan and Ritchie compatible C compiler Support for extended memory up to 16M on 286 and 386 32-bit versions of MINIX 386 is in works POSIX compliance anticipated in 1992 as well as ANSI C Compiler ---------------------- Vendor: The Santa Cruz Operation Product: SCO XENIX System V Release 2.3 Contact info: info@sco.com (408) 425-7222 (800) 726-8649 sales and dealer referral Price: base (2 user): $595 development: $795 text proc. sys: $195 Minimum Config: 286, 386, 486; ISA, MCA; 1MB mem (286) 2MB (386), 20MB disk Support: 30 days free warranty phone support upon registration Free anonymous uucp access to support distributions Variety of extra-cost support options Special programs for software/hardware developers Documentation: Excellent hard-copy; on-line man pages bundled in the text pkg File System: XENIX System V filesystem Drivers: Adaptec SCSI, SMS OMTI ESDI, plain ST-506 Many misc. drivers for serial cards, tapes, mouses Networking: $395 (+$395 develop): TCP/IP (2-user, not for 286) $695 ($595 for 286): XENIX-NET X11 Support: $395 (+$395 develop): Xsight (not avail for 286) MS-DOS Support: Ability to xfer files between DOS and *nix can compile to DOS from *nix $495: VP/ix (2-user, 386 only) Miscellaneous: (relative) ease of system administration most common 386 *nix on the market ---------------------- Vendor: The Santa Cruz Operation Product: SCO UNIX System V Release 3.2 Version 2 Contact info: info@sco.com (408) 425-7222 (800) 726-8649 sales and dealer referral Price: base (2 user): $595 development: $995 Minimum Config: (3,4)86; (E)ISA, MCA, MPX; 4MB mem, 40MB disk Support: 30 days free warranty phone support upon registration Free anonymous uucp access to support distributions Variety of extra-cost support options Special programs for software/hardware developers Documentation: excellent, online man pages included in OS, Extensive Development System docs, Device Driver Writer Guide File System: AFS (Acer File System) -- fast filesystem, System V 1K; DOS and XENIX partitions can be mounted also Drivers: Adaptec SCSI, SMS OMTI ESDI, plain ST-506, EISA and MPX special drivers, CDROM 80387 and Weitek Many misc. drivers for serial cards, tapes, mouses Networking: Streams bundled, $395: NFS (2-user); $395 (+$395 develop): TCP/IP (2-user) X11 Support: $395 (+$395 develop): Xsight MS-DOS Support: Ability to mount DOS partition as a filesystem File transfer utilities can compile to DOS from *nix $495: VP/ix (2-user) Miscellaneous: (relative) ease of system administration most common 386 *nix on the market, C2 security, Codeview, runs XENIX applications, The 3.2 Vers.2 product is much faster (reportedly) still a bit buggy ---------------------- Vendor: The Santa Cruz Operation Product: Open Desktop, release 1.0 Contact info: info@sco.com (408) 425-7222 (800) 726-8649 sales and dealer referral Price: base: $995 development: $1495 server upgrade: $1495 Minimum Config: (3,4)86; (E)ISA, MCA; (E,V,SV,EV)GA, Herc. 6MB mem (8 rec.), 100 MB disk (150 rec.). Support: 30 days free warranty phone support upon registration Free anonymous uucp access to support distributions Variety of extra-cost support options Special programs for software/hardware developers Documentation: 2 manuals, complete on-line man pages, optional doc pkg avail. File System: AFS (Acer File System) -- fast filesystem System V 1K; DOS and XENIX partitions can be mounted also NFS - Network File System Drivers: Ethernet: 3Com and Western Digital SCSI: Adaptec; ESDI: SMS; Others. EISA and MPX special drivers, CDROM Video: many VGA, super VGA 80387 or Weitek 1167 Various mice, tape, serial cards Networking: TCP/IP, NFS (server and client) and LAN Manager client bundled, Streams, NFS & TCP/IP devel. w/development system X11 Support: SCO X/Sight with Motif bundled X lib, X toolkit, Motif, Xhibit desktop w/devel. system MS-DOS Support: ODT-DOS included (cf. Merge) - runs DOS as UNIX process DOS partition as filesystem, or emulated DOS partition Can compile to DOS from *nix, file transfer utilities Miscellaneous: SCO UNIX + X11R3 + TCP/IP + NFS + Ingres + Merge Ingres RDBMS included (except for ABF) (relative) ease of system administration Tape version available ---------------------- Vendor: UHC Product: UNIX System V Release 4.0 Contact info: ...!uunet!uch!sam (713) 782-2700 Price: base (2 user): $895 development: $995 complete: $1995 Minimum Config: Support: Documentation: File System: standard System V filesystem Drivers: SCSI, ESDI, Mouse Networking: $695 X11 Support: $795 MS-DOS Support: Miscellaneous: ---------------------- * PLEASE NOTE: This list does not speak for any of the vendors (or * anybody else, for that matter), prices and support subject to change. * This is for informational purposes only. Noone should buy based * solely upon the information here -- actual details should be gathered * from the manufacturer. -- Wade Guthrie (evil@arcturus.UUCP) | "The likelihood of one individual being ...uunet!ccicpg!felix!arcturus!evil | right increases with direct proportion to Rockwell International; Anaheim, CA | the intensity with which others are trying My opinions, not my employer's. | to prove him wrong", Mr. Jordan