Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site grendel.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!wivax!cadmus!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!grendel!avolio
From: avolio@grendel.UUCP (Frederick M. Avolio)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re:  Unix bugs vs. VMS bugs
Message-ID: <207@grendel.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Nov-84 18:24:06 EST
Article-I.D.: grendel.207
Posted: Thu Nov 22 18:24:06 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Nov-84 02:40:28 EST
References: <5938@brl-tgr.ARPA> <5971@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: DEC, DC Area Gov't Projects Group
Lines: 35

> Gould meets all of the criteria you set with the exception that if you
> by their system today you get 4.1c.  4.2 will be available after the new
> year.  We've ordered their computers primarily since their performance beats
> the hell out of anything DEC offers and the price is lower.
....
>Sorry, but the Gould PN9000 is about 10 times a 780 for about $400K.
>Certainly beats the DEC entry.
>
>-Ron

Now, do you believe that stuff?  I didn't say it wasn't true...  I asked if
you believed it!  I won't, aside from that, comment on Ron's observation as
it pains me to do so.   (By the way, Ultrix-32 is 4.2BSD based...)

But yes, such support is available through the companies mentioned (and
others I am sure).  Ultrix-32, for example, is a *supported* Digital S/W
product.  That means manuals, training, bug fixes, newsletters, updates, an
800 number hot line for customer help (already in use), a large group of
UNIX experts, and software services (driver writing, for example).  I know
something about this as I work in a group which provides such services.

But that's what's neat about UNIX (oh I mean the UNIX OPERATING SYSTEM
(tm).  Go ahead and use Ultrix as a noun for now... :-) ) -- it is an
operating system which can be held together by one or two so-called gurus.
And, as I would guess most of us have seen, a system which stays up for
long periods of times w/o problems.  But, if you want to pay to have
someone else do these things (including updates, fixes, etc.) there are
people who handle such things.

Fred
-- 
Fred Avolio, DEC -- U{LTR,N}IX Support
301/731-4100 x4227
UUCP:  {seismo,decvax}!grendel!avolio
ARPA:  grendel!avolio@seismo.ARPA