Jargon file v2.1.5 28 NOV 1990 -- part 5 of 6

[Peter da Silva]

In article <1990Nov30.172512.5282 at sctc.com> smith at sctc.com (Rick Smith) writes:
> What is the source of this nonsense describing Multics as the SECOND
> SYSTEM EFFECT applied to CTSS? That's as fair as comparing Unix V6
> (as CTSS) with today's Unix (as Multics). Sure, V6 is clean and simple,
> but it doesn't make very good use of virtual memory and it doesn't support
> a zillion users, TCP, or windows.

Actually, those of us who still thing REAL UNIX means Version 6 or Version 7
find this particular comparison wonderfully appropriate. Version 7 UNIX at
Berekeley supported 60 users on an 11/70. Not very well, but it stayed up
and kept popping out prompts (albeit slowly). The EECSVAX running 4.0 BSD
could handle maybe 35. The 386 box on my desk at work is a comparable
machine, with 5 times the RAM of the old 11/70, but more than 10 users kill
it dead. And that's probably more users than the typical 386-class UNIX box
is expected to support.
-- 
Peter da Silva.   `-_-'
+1 713 274 5180.   'U`
peter at ferranti.com