Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!hao!oddjob!gargoyle!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Doom and Gloom, as they say, revisited (computer market failures)
Message-ID: <735@ddsw1.UUCP>
Date: 17 Feb 88 17:20:20 GMT
References: <1903@saturn.ucsc.edu> <1568@uhccux.UUCP> <19908@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 42
Summary: Better than Xenix?!  Pls. explain 'better'

In article <19908@bu-cs.BU.EDU> madd@bu-it.bu.edu (Jim Frost) writes:
>In article <1568@uhccux.UUCP> lee@uhccux.UUCP (Greg Lee) writes:
>>From article <1903@saturn.ucsc.edu>, by fiatlux@ucscc.UCSC.EDU (David Vangerov):
>>+ ...
>>+ I might point out that a lot of bussinesses are realizing that
>>+ you can turn a 286 or 386 box into a very nice mini system with
>>+ little cost in relation to what a mini system from DEC or Sun
>>+ might cost.
>>A "lot less"?  It would be interesting if you would post the details
>>of the cost comparison you made.

>This brings up an interesting point that most people miss.  The cost
>of an 80386 machine is very comparable to the cost of a similarly
>configured Sun 3/50.  Performance wise they're pretty close, too, but
>in terms of software reliability the Sun UNIX is somewhat better than
>Xenix or Microport.

Software reliability > Xenix/386?

This would be difficult... Since receiving our copy of Xenix/386, I have not
had a single crash or other anomoly that could not be directly traced to
hardware (we had a bad memory board, that doesn't count).  We've been
running it full-bore now for about 3 months (Xenix V/386).

As for compiler compatibility/reliability, well, I tell the software that 
I'm a VAX and that we run System V and 95% of the time it works first shot.
All the useful utilities and tools from the net (ie: ELM 1.7, uemacs, Jove, 
pathalias, etc) worked right out of the kit.

As to cost, we can sell a Tele-386 w/4M RAM, 72M (formatted) drive and Xenix
(complete system) for under $7k (about $8100 if you want 8 ports of
intelligent serial I/O with that).  That system will easily accommodate 2-4 
users, more if you spend for the intelligent I/O board.  It also expands
reasonably well, up to 200-300 M of disk and 16 users (although it's gonna
be slow with 16 people on it!).

What's a Sun 3/50 cost (at the end-user level, not through some dealer
program or via a university)?

-----
Karl Denninger		       |  Data: +1 312 566-8912
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc. | Voice: +1 312 566-8910
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