From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 109fba,df854b5838c3e14 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,df854b5838c3e14 X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,df854b5838c3e14 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Max Waterman Subject: Re: Unix Haters Date: 1996/04/02 Message-ID: <31611936.237C@wight.hursley.ibm.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 145417724 references: <00001a73+00002504@msn.com> <31442F19.6C13@lfwc.lockheed.com> <4i26uhINNsd@keats.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca> <31457584.2475@lfwc.lockheed.com> <4i4s5f$igc@solutions.solon.com> <3146E324.5C1E@lfwc.lockheed.com> <4i9ld6$m2v@rational.rational.com> <4iah20$p7k@saba.info.ucla.edu> <4ifqbg$b32@fred.netinfo.com.au> <4iutmh$790@ionews.ionet.net> content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii organization: IBM UK Laboratories Ltd. mime-version: 1.0 reply-to: max@lton.u-net.com newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++ x-mailer: Mozilla 2.01 (X11; I; AIX 2) Date: 1996-04-02T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Robert Dewar wrote: > > "Unix's main charm is and always has been that it runs on cheap hardware." Can do but (as others have pointed out) can also run on the biggest and most expensive. Also, cheap hardware with UNIX on doesn't have to be a PC/MAC. For about 5K you can get an SGI which is only slightly more expensive than the same config of a PC (and, I believe, the SGI is faster). > > Another chuckle. Typical Unix systems today require skads of memory, > and typically you find Unix only on high end machines, while the 99% > of lower end machines are running other OS's (System 7, DOS, WIndows) Generally, UNIX based workstations do require more memory. I see this as true for the following reasons : 1) UNIX can do more. If you don't want to do much (eg one user, little I/O cacheing, small number of concurrent processes) then you can get away with very little memory by stripping down the OS to reduce buffer sizes etc etc. The machines I have used can run on 8MByte but they're a bit old now. The new machines ship with 32MBytes as standard (but these are 64-bit CPUs!). 2) UNIX often runs on RISC. I believe RISC requires more memory due to larger image sizes. Correct me if I'm wrong. People would quite often compare UNIX memory requirements on a RISC machine and a CISC PC (I have). I do believe that the gap is narrowing. A reasonable config for a PC is with 16MByte RAM these days. This is because Windows95 can do more than Windows 3.X could. It still can't do what UNIX can (ie multiuser etc etc..anyone like to add to this list?) but I'm sure, as it increases in functionality and as the Intel etc chips become more RISC like (and shed their X86 compatibility) the memory requirements will become similar. The problem with UNIX is the lack of s/w for it compared to Windows. Of course, theres always SoftWindows - anyone had experience of SoftWindows? Max. PS I have limited experience of PCs and extensive experience of UNIX in its IRIX flavour. -- ___ mailto:max@lton.u-net.com / / / _ / / _ __ __ _ __ _ / / / /_/ |/ / / / /_/ / /_ /_/ / / / /_/ /| / / / / / / /| /_/_/ / / / /_ / | / / / / / / |/