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From: fangchin@elaine54.Stanford.EDU (Chin Fang)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: wanted: UNIX or clone
Message-ID: <1991Apr29.211853.5031@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 29 Apr 91 21:18:53 GMT
References: <1991Apr29.031654.17360@agate.berkeley.edu> <24@metran.UUCP> <1991Apr29.204310.22760@agate.berkeley.edu>
Sender: news@leland.Stanford.EDU (Mr News)
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Lines: 65

In article <1991Apr29.204310.22760@agate.berkeley.edu> ilan343@violet.berkeley.edu (Geraldo Veiga) writes:
>In article <24@metran.UUCP> jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts) writes:
>>> >Look at Word Perfect, they have a version for SCO Unix and Interactive
>>> >Unix - but not for ESIX.
>>> 
>>
>>I think it's just a case of Wordperfect not realizing how similar ISC UNIX
>>and ESIX are. 
>
>(Deleted Stuff - Excellent discussion on using off-the-shelf software
>in under Xenix, ISC and Esix - see original article)
>
>Let me try to bring this thread to its conclusion.   How can Esix (and
>all the small-volume 386/ix vendors like Dell, Microport, UHC) expect
>to stay in business  if users are not 100% sure they can run 
>software sold for SCO and ISC?  
>
>Someone mentioned in a previous posting that commercial software is
>unimportant for most Esix users.  IMHO, this is only the case because
                 ^^^^
I am the "someone".  Please note that I only said *some*.  I didn't and
never never said *most*.  You misquoted me I am afraid.

>interesting software is either expensive or unavailable.   I hardly
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^           ^^^^^^^^^    ^^^^^^^^^^^

How do you define "interesting"?  Do you think gcc/g++, X386 boring?

Furthermore, nothing in commerical domain beats gnuplot 2.02 with 3D ext as 
far as scientific plotting is concerned [note I said scientific plotting]   

Perl is THE language of choice of many SAs (including this humble poster)
and it's available from Larry Wall free!  Try buy some thing like this 
from commerical domain.  Calling Perl *uninteresting* in comp.lang.perl
and I am sure you will need to don a high quality flame retardant suite
really quick.

expansive, for comerical software, indeed true in most cases.  A few are
not.  ProYAM is a good example.

unavailable?  Why?  If you put in time/effort, some freeware are truely
exciting and useful.  (hint, monster disk)

>ever use a spreadsheet, but when I do, I would love to be able open a
>window with EXCEL instead of sc.

Yes indeed, Even Andrew EZ X based spreadsheet is weak.  As far as I can tell,
the two weakest areas as far as free UNIX software is concerned are

1. spreadsheet with a X interface.  and
2. database with a X interface.  (they are some good engines out there though)

We can only hope as Oleo envolves, part of 1 will disappear.

But, when you don't need to pay money for.  Some compromises have to be made
I guess.

Just some thoughts/(and minor corrections?).  Interesting discussions however.

Regards,

Chin Fang
Mechanical Engineering Department
Stanford University
fangchin@leland.stanford.edu