which 386 UNIX?

[Phil Hughes]

I expect there will be a zillion responses to your query so I will
try to limit my response to what I expect is new information.  For
background, I have worked with and/or have evaluation copies of
XENIX, Microport V/386, Interactive 386/IX and ENIX.  We use XENIX
on two systems on a regular basis, now have ENIX running on a system
and I evaluated running DOS under all but ENIX for an article that
was published in MicroSystems Journal about 5 months ago.

All of these operating systems work.  And there is something good and
something bad about each one.  Rather than a comprehensive review, let
me present some information on ENIX as it is new and few people have
any information on it.

I had the pre-release of ENIX V, based on system V, Release 3.0.  Last
week I received the Release 3.2 based product.  My guess is that this
product is basically the same as what you will get with any of the other
flavors of 386 UNIX based on Release 3.2.  This is the big merge where
XENIX becomes UNIX.  This means that ENIX will run XENIX binaries and
can even mount XENIX file systems.  The development system (C compiler,
etc) is included but the text processing system (troff) isn't.

What you get with ENIX includes X-windows, Enhanced Security Extensions
(whatever that is), RFS, streams, AT&T Transport Interface, shared
libraries, new awk and a bunch of other things.  Added commands include
a utility to print files on an HP laserjet (you can pick fonts but this
isn't a troff driver), utilities to play with DOS disks and a keyboard
mapping utility.

What's good about ENIX is that it installs and works fine so far.
What's bad is the documentation.  This should improve but it has
quite a few errors and documentation on X-windows, FACE and few
other additions is non-existent.  

One other person who received an evaluation copy couldn't use it because
it would only support disks up to 1024 tracks but Everex is working on
this problem.  

I have yet to try X, RFS or any of the other add-ons but the guts
seem to be a stable, real System V, release 3.2.  The fact that it
comes with an installed streaming tape driver (for an Everex tape
drive but that is what we use) was very useful.  It also claims to
have a scsi driver that will talk to 1/2" tape as well as disks but
I haven't tried it yet.

The disclaimer is, "you get what you pay for".  SCO XENIX has a big
installed base, lots of documentation and a large support organization.
ENIX is new.  I don't think it will be unstable but if you need
the hand-holding that SCO or Microport offers, you will probably
have to pay the price.

Speaking of price, ENIX is $375.

I hope this provided some useful information.  I will post a followup
when I have done a more comprehensive test.
-- 
Phil Hughes, SSC, Inc. P.O. Box 55549, Seattle, WA 98155  (206)FOR-UNIX
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