Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!udel!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!rg20+ From: rg20+@andrew.cmu.edu (Rick Francis Golembiewski) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: A3000UX Seems Fated Message-ID: Date: 14 Dec 90 21:37:49 GMT References: <1990Dec14.045924.20212@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Organization: Class of '92, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 42 In-Reply-To: <1990Dec14.045924.20212@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> >I just had a talk with one of our system administrators here, and I told him >about the A3000UX. He told me that Sun came out with a workstation that was >286 based and ran Unix along with PC's in windows that multitasked. I don't >know of the model number, but he said they didn't sell, and Sun discontinued. Actually it was a 386 machine, (I seem to remember that it was called the sun 386i). As I rember it was a good deal more expensive then the comprable dos machines (Anyone have a price range? I seem to remember a figure aroun 10K, but this could be wrong), enough so that you really had to have a need for both a UNIX workstation and a DOS PC for it to become worth the cost. >AmigaDOS and Unix will not run at the same time, and there is a much smaller >demand for Amiga compatibility than IBM compatibility, so I would think that >there isn't going to be much of a demand for these things unfortunately. >Considering you can buy a Sparcstation now for $3000 that comes inside a >1200x800 monitor that will outperform an A3000, with the expansion capability >to reach 100 MIPS, I really don't see where the market is. I think that the market will be for people like myself, who have been using amiga for a long time (I've still got a vintage 1000 from '86 that still work perfectly), who have invested in an accelerated amiga (a3000 in my case) that LIKE amigaDOS, but also have some use for UNIX. I really don't want to shell out $3K+ for another machine just to run unix (not to mention that I don't have any deskspace as it is), but I would like to have some of the features of unix for developing programs (and insuring that they are indeed portable to UNIX systems). right now I can use CMU's machines, but once I graduate I'll be on my own, so it would be nice if I could get UNIX for my 3000. I don't see the amiga becoming a major contender in the workstation market, there are already several VERY tough compeditors (DEC,HP,SUN etc.), but the distinction between a high end PC and a low end workstation is pretty fuzzy. Also UNIX can be used as a way to get amigas into government offices (which could mean lots of $$$$ for C=). I'm glad that C= is going to be offering UNIX, I think that it will strengthen the amiga's reputation and increase sales. // Rick Golembiewski rg20+@andrew.cmu.edu \\ \\ #include stddisclaimer.h // \\ "I never respected a man who could spell" // \\ -M. Twain //