Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!gistdev!flint
From: flint@gistdev.gist.com (Flint Pellett)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: 486 computers and Unix
Keywords: 486 386 unix sco intel
Message-ID: <1049@gistdev.gist.com>
Date: 7 Jan 91 23:35:05 GMT
References: <712@nox.se>
Organization: Global Information Systems Technology Inc., Savoy, IL
Lines: 30

peter@nox.se (Peter Levin) writes:

>There have been some discussion on the subject of running 486 computers and
>386 Unix (SCO, Interactive, Dell etc).  I know that when buying an Intel
>486 computer you were at least one month ago obliged to sign a paper
>stating that you were aware of that the 486 processor was not working
>properly with Unix under alla circumstances.

Who/where do you "know" this from?  I didn't have to sign any such thing
when I got my 486, can you tell us of anyone who has?  My vendor says
they've tested the machine with SCO and ISC and Microport and had no
problems.  When deciding what machine to buy I talked with several
vendors, and no other vendor I talked with mentioned any such thing, and
I told them all I intended to use UNIX on the machine.  The 486's bugs
are in floating point operations that are performed in a particular
sequence that is relatively rare.  (At least that is what the Intel
internal docs I have say, and that has been my experience in using the
machine for the past 9 months.)  That may affect some UNIX applications,
but it is very unlikely that it will affect UNIX itself.

>Just giving some information.

It is either incorrect info, or incomplete.  Which 486 was it that was
asking people to sign such a paper?  In what country?  Did it refer to
a specific UNIX?  Or are you just repeating an unsubstantiated rumor?

-- 
Flint Pellett, Global Information Systems Technology, Inc.
1800 Woodfield Drive, Savoy, IL  61874     (217) 352-1165
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