Choosing a 386 unix -- summary

[Wade Guthrie]

Okay, here is a repost/summary of the responses to the "which Unix"
question we're all so tired of seeing.  I have received a few
responses, and they have been incorporated here.  I feel that
the description is still insufficient, so I again ask for updates.

Please feel free to follow-up or reply with changes.  Guys! Gals!  
If you have an ammendment to the strawman -- **SEND IT** I IMPLORE 
you.  I invite vendors to add to the advantages of their own product 
(and other people's products, if they wish). 

	Thanks to:
	sl at van-bc.wimsey.bc.ca (Stuart Lynne)
	zardoz!uunet!vpnet.chi.il.us!hb (hank barta)
	paul at dialogic.com (The Imaginative Moron aka Joey Pheromone)
	zardoz!uunet!cimcor.MN.ORG!det (Derek Terveer)
	steve at altos86.Altos.COM (Steve Scherf)
	zardoz!dhw68k.cts.com!etg (Eric Bennett)
	zardoz!uunet!uiucuxc!whistle.kai.com!patrick (Patrick Wolfe)

I propose the following:


** Santa Cruz Operations: SCO XENIX
email address: info at sco.com or support at sco.com
advantages/features:
	- (relative) ease of system administration
	- excellent documentation
	- ability to compile to DOS from *nix
	- ability to transfer files between DOS and *nix
	- most common 386 *nix on the market
	- AFS (Acer File System) -- fast filesystem-like
	- support via annonymous UUCP
disadvantages:
	- almost most expensive 286/386 *nix on the market
	- development package (C compiler et. al.) is unbundled
	- text package (nroff, man pages, et. al.) is unbundled


** Santa Cruz Operations: SCO UNIX 
email address: info at sco.com or support at sco.com
advantages/features:
	- see XENIX features
	- full/real AT&T unix
	- C2 security
	- formatted man pages with SCO Unix 3.2v2.0. 
	- Codeview
disadvantages:
	- slower and larger than XENIX
	- most expensive 286/386 *nix on the market
	- C2 security
	- development package (C compiler et. al.) is unbundled
	- text package (nroff, , et. al.) is unbundled
	- still a bit buggy


** Santa Cruz Operations: SCO Open Desktop
email address (see above)
advantages/features:
	- SCO UNIX + X11R3 + NFS + Ingres
disadvantages:
	- expensive development system ($1500)
	- see SCO UNIX


** Everex: ESIX
email address: uunet!zardoz!everex!jde
advantages/features:
	- comes with X11R3 (X-windows) bundled in (Motif is extra)
	- low price for a full-featured i386
	- lifetime support (reported to be pretty good, too)
	- inexpensive upgrade policy
	- Berkely fast file system 
disadvantages:
	- no on-line man pages
	- poor SCSI driver (if you're into SCSI)
	- poor paper documentation (costs extra too)
	- relatively difficult installation/system administration


** Interactive I386
email address: ?
advantages/features:
	- Berkely fast file system
	- HPDD - Very good disk and tape support, including SCSI
	- X11 support - extensive, EGA thru' Matrox hi-res colour. Motif and 
	  Looking Glass, too
disadvantages:
	- expensive upgrade policy
	- Support. Hard to get - theirs is (reportedly) NOT good, and you only get
	  it free if you bought from them - otherwise its $600/yr (approx).
	

** Coherent 386
email address: ?
advantaged/features:
	- extreme low cost ($99)
	- working uucp
	- yacc/lex (included in above packages, but at this price...)
	- nice manual
disadvantages:
	- no virtual memory
	- small real-mode model only (is this true)
	- no sources for utilities or system
	- won't run pathalias
	- won't work on systems w/ Micro Channel, SCSI, IDE,
	  or ESDI Controllers
-- 
Wade Guthrie (evil at arcturus.UUCP)    | "He gasped in terror at what sounded
Rockwell International; Anaheim, CA  | like a man trying to gargle while
My opinions, not my employer's.      | fighting off a pack of wolves"
                                     |                Hitchhiker's Guide