Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!fluke!ssc-vax!benoni From: benoni@ssc-vax.UUCP (Charles L Ditzel) Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc Subject: Re: Suns, support, less money Message-ID: <1417@ssc-vax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 10-Sep-87 01:11:21 EDT Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.1417 Posted: Thu Sep 10 01:11:21 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Sep-87 16:26:12 EDT References: <7177@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> <3894@well.UUCP> <668@uokmax.UUCP> <1475@gryphon.CTS.COM> Organization: Boeing Aerospace Corp., Seattle WA Lines: 85 Keywords: Workstations Summary: Comparisons of workstations, Sun,Apollo,Mac In article <1475@gryphon.CTS.COM>, richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: > > SUN APOLLO VAX IBM APPLE > --- ------ --- --- ----- > Model 3/50M DN3000L 2000 PS 80-071 Mac II > Chip MC68020 MC68020 uVAX78032 80386 MC68020 > MIPS 1.5 1.2 0.9(1) 2.0 1.2 > Max Mem 4MB ? ? 16MB 8MB > Display 19" 19" 15" 12" 12" > Res. 1152x900 1280x1024 1024x864 640x480 640x480 > Disk 282MB 348MB 318MB 230MB 80MB > Price(2) $9,995(3) $9,490(3) $11,300 $13,370 $13,350 > > (1) New systems to be announced at 3.0 MIPS > (2) With 71 MB hard disk and cartridge tape > (3) Available diskless with server for $5,000 less > > Source: Sun Microsystems and Apollo Computer > > Richard J. Sexton This is a pretty good chart. I would add a few things. 1) Sun discounts heavily to Universities and companies - on the order of 15% or more. That $9995 turns into about $8K. I believe Apollo and Apple do likewise. I don't know about DEC and IBM. 2) Sun 3/50 come with a streaming backup tape drive(60 Meg tape). I don't know if you added that in. I *know* the MAC II tape drive is 40 Meg. 3) I work on Apollos. Their are many good things to say about them. But I wouldn't buy one if i was interested in Unix. On the other hand I have also looked at Sun's Unix and like it. Question : does Apollo bundle Fortran, Pascal and C with their operating system (like Sun) or do you have to buy those compilers? Same question about IBM, DEC and Apple. Second Sun also gives you NeWS for $100. and MIT X Windows. 4) Mac II comes standard with 2 Meg. Sun with 4 meg. Apollo with 2 meg ??(last i checked). 5) What is missing from this chart is the Sun 3/60. Which to me, is the most interesting machine of the batch. SUN APOLLO DEC IBM APPLE --- ------ ---- --- ----- Model 3/60 (Mono) DN3000L 2000 PS 80-071 Mac II Chip MC68020 (20 MHz) MIPS 3.0 Std Mem 4 2 ? ? ? 2 Max Mem 24MB Display 19"(1) Bitplanes 8 4 ? ? 4 Res. 1152x900 (2) Ethrnt std Y Y ? ? N Disk 72M std. (Max? 282MB) Price $12,900 undiscounted (1) 16" Color 1152x900 ; 19" Color 1152x900 ; 19" Mono 1600x1280 ; 19" Grayscale 1152x900 (2) Depends on monitor (monochrome given) 6) One missing ingredient in the chart is number of bitplanes. This is relatively important if you are doing graphics. 6) The chart looks like the machines come with 282M disks actually you must be talking about the maximum disk space available to the machine. 7) One really BAD thing about the Mac II (i don't know if this is true about the IBM) is that the resolution is HALF of the other machines. This means it will cost you $$ if you want to get up to the resolution of a Sun or Apollo. 8) The Sun 3/60 I believe comes with an Ethernet card already built in. (Correct me if I am wrong). I *know* the Sun 3/50 also has a built in Ethernet. Ethernet on the Mac II is $900. I believe but am not sure that Apollo is making it available as standard equipment (choice of Domain board or Ethernet). 9) The chart misses one important ingredient that is in the Mac II's favor. Something like 2500 Mac programs can be used with the Mac II. 10) Another thing missing from the chart is what type of buss the machines have. The Sun 3/50 is unexpandable...but then that why you can get a $5K diskless Sun. On the other hand Apollo DN3000 has an AT Bus.