What does one get into when buying a Unix PC?

[James E. Ward]

Hello out there.  I've just read every article available to me in this
newsgroup.  I have an Atari 520 ST and really lust after Unix.  I see
that there are 7300 Unix-pc machines available for under $1000 complete
with Unix System V.  I am considering purchasing one, but would like to
get some feel for what I am getting into before I leap.  I understand
that I may soon outgrow .5 meg RAM and 20 meg of disk space, and that
the machine is slow.  How slow is slow?  My definition of slow: the original
IBM PC.  Is it that slow?

Also, an Internet node is a local call away.  What kind of connectivity to
Usenet and the rest of the world can I get with a 2400 baud modem?  Am I
too ignorant to get into this machine?

Should I buy the latest release of the os, or get the discounted previous
release?

I have been a user on a Unix system for several years, and I once had an
IBM PC/AT with a Xenix partition.  I set it up and administered it, allowed
buds to dial-up and login.  Have I much more or less to accomplish with this
machine?

Does the GNU stuff work easily?  (I am a GNU emacs fanatic!)

Just testing the water before I discover I have drowned or am swimming.  Any
help or comments will be appreciated.
#  James E. Ward, The Planet Earth, Ltd.    |                                 #
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