Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!van-bc!heuvax!nheu From: nheu@heuvax.wimsey.bc.ca (Norman Heu) Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent Subject: Re: Coherent vs. MINIX Message-ID: Date: 11 Jun 91 17:47:58 GMT References: Distribution: comp Organization: Private Node in Vancouver, BC, Canada Lines: 69 In article jochenw@rama.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (Jochen Wolters) writes: >Hi all! > > I am planning on buying one of the packages > mentioned and was even pretty sure that >MINIX would be the one. I'm planning to buy one, too... and have pretty well settled on MINIX, myself. >But after reading through the contents list I wasn't so sure >anymore. As far as I can judge, Coherent might be the >system of choice for those who >just want to "use" it, but who are not interested >in modifying the system itself. From all that I've been able to gather, this was the same conclusion I reached. Re-compiling the MINIX kernal to make changes (or just to run it itself) might not be so much fun. %) Coherent will probably be easier to get running out of the box. > So, >what do YOU think? For an electronics engineering student >wanting to "prepare" >programs for bigger UNIX machines on his "tiny" 386SX at home, > what system will do >best?! I'm a computer science student myself and WANT my own big UNIX machine. However, I'll have to settle for a 386SX running MINIX (which will probably come quite close... closer than Coherent). The main reason that I would choose MINIX over Coherent is the 386 support which is available for MINIX and not for Coherent. Coherent, which does not take advantage of the special features of the 386 in its current version, can not run many large UNIX programs. Also, there seems to be more things happening with MINIX. Checkout comp.os.minix.. it's much more active than comp.os.coherent. >If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. Coherent is a very good product. For the casual user who want's to learn what UNIX is all about, it's perfect. I think it fills a niche that MINIX doesn't. And which product to buy depends entirely on what you want to do. [I'll probably buy Coherent when the version with 386 support comes out late next year... I can't wait till then, so I'll buy MINIX now] Finally... a caveat. I've tried neither system before, so you might want to get some views from actual users. I've just been reading both newsgroups and have been an interested observer for some time. -Norm >-- >Jochen Wolters | jochenw@cip-s02.informatik.rwth-aachen.de >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >"Taniwha is waiting for me just below the surface so bright..." > Split Enz -- // Norman Heu \X/ nheu@heuvax.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!heuvax.wimsey.bc.ca!nheu