Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!ncar!tank!mimsy!mojo!SYSMGR@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU
From: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: IBM RISC System/6000  AS/400 (actually a diversion on the topic)
Message-ID: <0093307E.0B7FBDC0@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU>
Date: 1 Mar 90 18:12:29 GMT
References: <20714@cfctech.cfc.com>,<1990Feb28.042949.21952@edm.uucp>
Sender: news@eng.umd.edu (The News System)
Reply-To: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney)
Organization: The U. of MD, CP, CAD lab
Lines: 27

>	Actually this is about the first posting I've seen which
>mentions both the AS/400 and the 6000. So far I have found it interesting 
>that everybody seems to be concentrating on this box as a workstaion. What
>are the possibilities for it in the small number (ie. < 32) of user arena?
>It would seem to me that IBM just may have introduced an AS/400 killer.
>From my understanding the MCA bus should support Intelligent ports cards
>a bit better than the (E)ISA bus (it certainly can't be any worse).

Three words come into play here:

	Installed Software Base

If it is worth the time/trouble to port business software running on the
AS/400 series to the RISC box, sure. I'm not sure if there is a COBOL
compiler for the 6000 series yet, however :-)

More interesting; IBM also announced a 370 box with MicroChannel which
had '386 chips handling I/O. 
****************************************************************

Should you look at DEC equipment (gasp), you find that a VAXstation 3100
and a DECstation 3100 cost about the same, but the DECstation gives you
anywhere from 2-3 times performance in any given situtation. Why should you
stick with VAX VMS, even tho' you get more bang for the buck out of a 
DEC station?

				Doug