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From: rwwetmore@watmath.waterloo.edu
Newsgroups: net.micro.68k
Subject: Re: The Motorola 68030
Message-ID: <3499@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Oct-86 15:26:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.3499
Posted: Fri Oct  3 15:26:36 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 4-Oct-86 10:57:30 EDT
References: <2270@gitpyr.UUCP> <7637@sun.uucp> <729@sauron.UUCP> <200@mipos3.UUCP> <1134@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Sender: rwwetmore@watmath.UUCP
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 41
In-Reply-To: <1134@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU>

In article <1134@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU> M. Braner writes:
>
>Gee, that was to much to ignore...
>
>Can anybody point me to the numerous powerful multi-user super-boxes that
>are using the '286 or '386 (AT doesn't count since it is actually used
>by single users, and in 8088 emulation mode, primarily)? 
>
  Are you trying to say that the 68xxx series are never used by single users
and therefore are not tainted by mundane but commercially profitable uses?

  In the world of multi-user, multi-tasking super-micro operating systems,
I believe Xenix for the AT has gone through several versions over the last
couple years, and is probably the most widely distributed version of Unix
in terms of numbers of systems. It unfortunately process swaps, but then so
does the Perkin-Elmer series of Mini's and Cray's COS. MicroPort SV/AT is
full System V Release 2 with demand-paged virtual memory, and on an 8Mhz,
no wait state, AT compatible with 4Mb of memory and a reasonably fast hard
disk delivers 2/3 the power of a SUN 3 for most applications. One of the
12Mhz AT's would probably approach the performance of a 16.67 Mhz SUN 3.
At 1/3 the price of the SUN's coupled with the 'added' ability to run 8088
software (with third party software for some OS' like Venix, as a subtask
under the Unix operating system), there is no lack of reasons for their
attractiveness in the marketplace.

  However flames based on religious tunnel-vision are not particularly
interesting. Could we reduce the volume of traffic to a more factual level?
I really do enjoy the well articulated descriptions of various chips and
their strengths and weaknesses. I use SUN's, AT's, Atari ST's and VAXen,
and find all of them superb machines in comparison to what was available
10 years ago. Moreover by having the choice of several different machines
for a given job, I think I am far further ahead than if computers were
restricted to a single monopoly.

BTW: Has anyone out there played with the new 25 Mhz SUN 3-260's? What are
     they REALLY like?

Ross W. Wetmore			| rwwetmore@water.NetNorth
University of Waterloo		| rwwetmore@watmath.waterloo.edu
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1	| {clyde, ihnp4, ubc-vision, utcsri}
(519) 885-1211 ext 3491		|   !watmath!rwwetmore