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From: chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re:  Unix and the future (heating up)
Message-ID: <276@tilt.FUN>
Date: Tue, 23-Apr-85 03:07:35 EST
Article-I.D.: tilt.276
Posted: Tue Apr 23 03:07:35 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Apr-85 02:15:05 EST
References: <9838@brl-tgr.ARPA> <498@terak.UUCP> <122@mips.UUCP> <509@terak.UUCP>
Reply-To: chenr@tilt.UUCP (Ray Chen)
Organization: Princeton University EECS Dept
Lines: 26
Summary: 

People seem to be missing a key point.  The success of an
operating system also depends on the hardware that it runs on.

Face it.  Unix as a real operating system requires a certain level
of performance from the hardware.  If the hardware can't meet that
level, then the advantages of Unix become effectively useless.

Myself, I think you need an 80186-class processor or better
and a reasonable hard disk for Unix to be significantly better than
a simpler operating system like MS-DOS.

My prediction:  As cycles and disks get cheaper, Unix will grow more
and more popular.

Watch the AT&T 7300 for an indication on how well Unix will do in the
personal/small-business market.  The 7300 has got the right amount of
memory, the right processor, and the mandatory hard disk.  I think it
also will sell for < $5000 which puts it in the right price range.
There should be an untapped market for a ~$5000 or less machine with
80286/68010-class power as the PC AT is too crippled to be a decent buy
and the only other machines aimed at that market are hyped PC-clones
which perform at the low end of "68000" power range.  If the 7300
takes off, the last 3 1/2 years of this decade could be the "Unix years".

	Ray Chen
	princeton!tilt!chenr