Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!ucbvax!info-vax From: info-vax@ucbvax.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax Subject: Re: Need system with 180 users accessing 1 database Message-ID: <8512161454.AA09049@rti-sel> Date: Mon, 16-Dec-85 09:54:07 EST Article-I.D.: rti-sel.8512161454.AA09049 Posted: Mon Dec 16 09:54:07 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 18-Dec-85 00:41:01 EST References: <8512040230.AA25049@nyu.arpa>, < Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: John Pierce Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC Lines: 40 Approved: info-vax@sri-kl.arpa In response to the sales pitch from the man at System Industries - I am an experienced SIMACS user. I work on a government cluster of VAXes where disks were purchased from the lowest bidder. Before purchasing a SIMACS product try to resolve the answers to the following questions: Did DEC really throw SI a curve when they put the disk ACP in each user process? Causing much software complexity for SI and the users? Resulting in the most amazing bugs with V4.0/1/2 like SET VERIFY not working in DCL? How much additional memory and software installation time does the SI product require? What are the benefits of SIMACS over DEC disk clusters besides cost? What kind of training program does SI have for its field engineers? What sort of liability do they assume when one of them wipes out the data on your disk accidentally? Does this sort of thing happen often? What measurements do they have from field sites of data integrity and reliability? Over the past year how many bugs have they found which caused the clobbering of user files by their software? What was their severity? What evidence can they give that their product has stabilized and that their plan for VMS compatibility is working? Does the lower hardware cost of the SIMACS system offset any foreseeable personnel, software development and data recovery costs? Of course you would want to ask these questions of DEC and any other vendor, considering: "Corporations cannot commit trespass nor be outlawed nor excommunicate, for they have no souls." - Lord Coke's Reports, Part x. p. 32. ------------------- John Pierce