Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!uunet!bionet!ig!presto.ig.com!dow
From: dow@presto.ig.com (Christopher Dow)
Newsgroups: bionet.software
Subject: Re: molecular biology software
Message-ID: <Feb.18.10.18.57.1991.2185@presto.ig.com>
Date: 18 Feb 91 18:18:58 GMT
References: <1991Feb18.170310.2344@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>
Sender: news@presto.ig.com
Reply-To: dow@presto.ig.com (Christopher Dow)
Organization: IntelliGenetics, Inc.
Lines: 46
Nntp-Posting-Host: presto.ig.com

In article <1991Feb18.170310.2344@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>,
lamoran@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (L.A. Moran) writes:
> 
> 
> Brian R. Smith writes,
> 
>      "Yes, there are platforms that do not (or cannot) support X.  I don't
>       mean to sound snobbish, but I think they'll fall by the wayside.
>       (Even if you get a Mac or PC X server, you still can't run a program
>       on the Mac/PC and display on another X server - it's only a one-way
>       support.)  And, if they are replaced by Unix machines, many
>       departments are going to HAVE to hire an experienced system
>       administrator to care for and feed them.  Even if workstation
>       manufacturers manage to put a workable system administration layer
>       over Unix (as NeXT is trying to do), the underlying software still
>       must be understood."
> 
> This opinion seems to be shared by Chris Dow who is also a fan of X-windows
> and UNIX. 
> 
> 
> Perhaps Brian Smith or Chris Dow could explain what kind of applications they
> are referring to when they make such claims. Do they think that a MAJORITY
> of molecular biologists should purchase expensive workstations that run
> UNIX and X-windows? If so, why?
	
	Obviously, I haven't made myself clear on this issue.  I beleive
that unix is an extrememly powerful system which has the potential to 
make more sophisticated, and, ultimately, more useful programs available
to the user.  At this point, however, I find that unix is far to difficult
to manage, and therefore, IntelliGenetics has a commitment to writing 
software for _all_ major platforms, as evidenced by our poster at 
_Genome Sequencing II_.  

	Also, please note that a SparcStation IPC costs _much_ less than
an equivalently configured Mac II fx, so I don't think one can call unix
workstations expensive, they are just a top-of-the-line-type computer.  

> 
> -Larry Moran
> Dept. of Biochemistry

Chris Dow                             IntelliGenetics
Software Engineer                     700 East El Camino Real
icbmnet: 37 22' 39" N, 122 3' 32" W   Mountain View, Ca. 94040
dow@presto.ig.com                     (415) 962-7320