Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!rsiatl!jgd From: jgd@Dixie.Com (John G. DeArmond) Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386 Subject: Re: '386 Unix Wars Keywords: sco unix interactive wars Message-ID: <5407@rsiatl.Dixie.Com> Date: 21 Dec 90 21:16:03 GMT References: <276d312d-8aecomp.unix.i386@point.UUCP> <33791527@bfmny0.BFM.COM> <2812@cirrusl.UUCP> Organization: Rapid Deployment Systems (making go-fast things and things that-go fast) Lines: 90 >In article <2812@cirrusl.UUCP> dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com (Rahul Dhesi) writes: -> Everex has a fair implementation (except for one or two ->things that don't work at all) but the worst documentation I have seen ->for an operating system (based on the two manuals included with what I ->bought -- you can buy more manuals, which I suspect will be of the same ->miserable quality). Plus Esix is a dog performance wise. I benchmarked it against many other machines for my last client's fairly large project. Our benchmark performed typical transaction-styled database lookups and modifications. A compaq DeskPro 33 mhz system running ISC 2.2 and a compaq supplied 300 meg disk permformed about 300 "transactions" per second. The client's Sequent (4 processor unit) did about 170. An IBM Sh*tstation 6000/54 (I think that's right, anyway, second from the top) would do about 310 when it was not crashing. This system (20 mhz clone board with fast SCSI drives and ISC 2.0.2) does about 120. A 25 mhz clone system with ESDI drives did exactly ONE transaction per second. This is the same performance we observed from an NCR 200 (4 tps) and an NCR 400 (1 tps). What this tells me is that the Esix port is pure AT&T file system without any performance enhancements at all. The compaq was most impressive coupled with the new release of ISC. >-> >->For business purposes I recommend SCO. Although I personally haven't >With *GAG* C2 security from *cough* secureWare? Yeah, SCO is pretty much all 'round bad. Even though ISC has their stupid little authorization-style copy protection, it is no where near as bad as SCO's. I think SCO is following in the footsteps that IBM laid with the PC and is giving up the lead through sheer stupidity. >->For good documentation and powerful features, you have no choice but to >->try to find a BSD derivative (anything except Ultrix). Right now I use >no can do on a 386/AT unless you have a source license ($100,000) Plus I don't know that I'd want to mess with BSD in a commercial environment. Perhaps if someone like ISC took BSD and made a product from it by cleaning it up and adding value, I'd be interested. But after spending the past little while crawling through bezerklyware networking code, I'd not want to risk my reputation on unadorned BSD. Besides anyone who is complaining about documentation should really look at ISC's 2.2 release docs. All 62 lbs of them! The installation and administration guide in particular is as good of Unix documentation as I've seen. Particularly the part on line printer management. True, there is no "This is Unix" style beginner's guide but I as an experienced unix system admin and developer have found just about everything I've wanted to know in the manuals. I've advocated pinging ISC for their stupidity over things like the authorization manager (I can hardly wait for this thing to take a client's system down. I'll do everything I can to sic the lawyers on 'em.) and their moronic support policy. At the same time, I advocate giving them credit where it is due. Their performance and their documentation are excellent. Hey Interactive! How about rediscovering the spirit that must exist in the tech writing department and applying it to your support policies. And can the authorization manager and call it a bad wet dream. Ok? And stick the Korn shell in the distribution just for good measure. >-> >->Also available, still in beta-test (though they call it a "production >->release") is System V Release 4. I would wait another year, but by >at least a year I hope never. I hope that by the time we have to look at R4, commercial Mach and/or commercial free BSDs will be available. AT&T's new motto: "Unix: The product that we just couldn't kill - though we tried real hard." ------------------------------------ $finger AT&T Logname: ATT In real life: The Phone and Cash Register Company project - Kill Unix plan - Issue Release 4, buy NCR. ------------------------------------- John -- John De Armond, WD4OQC | "Purveyors of speed to the Trade" (tm) Rapid Deployment System, Inc. | Home of the Nidgets (tm) Marietta, Ga | {emory,uunet}!rsiatl!jgd | "Vote early, Vote often"