Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!ucsd!rutgers!bellcore!faline!thumper!ulysses!andante!alice!debra
From: debra@alice.UUCP (Paul De Bra)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: 286 serial port woes
Keywords: UNIX 286, uucp
Message-ID: <8774@alice.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jan 89 15:39:41 GMT
References: <11871@netsys.COM> <8766@alice.UUCP> <11899@netsys.COM>
Reply-To: debra@alice.UUCP ()
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T, Bell Labs
Lines: 36

In article <11899@netsys.COM> len@netsys.COM (Len Rose) writes:
>...
>I was tasked to find a usable "Unix" for several office systems
>currently running DOS and one that wouldn't require massive 
>investment hardware-wise for aging hardware that will be outmoded
>soon.. It looks like SCO Xenix is the winner. 
>
>Thank God I don't have to use these systems on a daily basis.
>
>Anybody want to buy a used AT :-)
>

What a world are we living in... I agree one can get pretty upset when
a system performs as poorly as you described in an earlier posting.
However, an AT (8Mhz will do) gives you about 0.5MIPS (though it varies
depending on what you try) In a poor University where the "BIG" Unix
system was a Gould mini, roughly performing like a Vax 785, i.e. 1.5MIPS,
I was *very* happy to get an AT. Since on average about 16 people were
doing either software development or heavy text processing (with Tex)
on the mini, the AT was a much more comfortable working environment,
delivering a stable performance.

I never thought people would think badly about Xenix because some commands
are different from plain vanilla System V. My Xenix box was always a bit
different from the mini, but that never bothered me. It was Unix, and the
names of the commands and the available options are described in the manuals.
Who would want more? (too bad my system blew up...)

Just a few years ago the idea of having a 750 (well, more or less) on your
desk for under $2000 was fabulous.

Paul.
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