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From: marshall@wind55.seri.gov (Marshall L. Buhl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Brain-dead 286 - summary
Message-ID: <1990Mar13.201259.11097@seri.gov>
Date: 13 Mar 90 20:12:59 GMT
References: <8681@rosevax.Rosemount.COM> <29405@amdcad.AMD.COM> <25F7F56B.11734@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> <29474@amdcad.AMD.COM>
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phil@pepsi.amd.com (Phil Ngai) writes:

>In article <25F7F56B.11734@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Stephen M. Dunn) writes:
>|   Maybe you don't ... have you ever tried using a program like 1-2-3 R3
>|on a 286?  Even on a 12 MHz 286, the program is a pig.  From what I've
>|heard, Word for Windows is also a pig.  There are two distinct machine

>But that doesn't have anything to do with 286 or 386. WfW doesn't (I
>believe) do anything special on a 386. I don't think 123 R3 does either.
>So getting a 386 for these programs is pointless.

Phil,

You're going to have to live with that ancient relic for at least 4
years.  Just because there isn't that much 32-bit software today, doesn't
mean that will continue to be true.  My FORTRAN programs run nearly twice
as fast in 32-bit mode compared to 16-bit mode.  The 286 is a very OLD
architecture.  Look to the future.  Quit recommending that people invest
in this old stuff.  I'm not saying to junk all those old systems, just
don't buy any NEW 286s.  Use the old ones in non-critical situations.
People who insist in investing in ancient technology are holding the
rest of us back.

Remember folks.  The CPU is a very small part of the cost of a COMPLETE
system.  When you pay more for a 386 system, you are getting faster
memory, hard disks, etc. too - not just a faster processor.

Also remember that 1-2-3 costs the same whether you will run it on a 8088
or a 25 MHz 80486.  Your $2500 LaserJet costs the same too.  Don't slow
down all that nice stuff with a wimpy processor.  If your time is valuable
to you, then you can't AFFORD a 286 - it's just too expensive.

16-bit computers are living on borrowed time.  32-bit is the way to go for 
the near term.  Of course, the 64-bit CPU is not far off.  Maybe then, we
will finally get the performance we need to run a GUI.
--
Marshall L. Buhl, Jr.                   EMAIL: marshall@wind55.seri.gov
Senior Computer Engineer                VOICE: (303)231-1014
Wind Research Branch                    1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO  80401-3393
Solar Energy Research Institute         Solar - safe energy for a healthy future