sysv386 vs. ILC/SLC???

[Paul Emerson]

>From article <1991Feb4.132518.18331 at arrayb.uucp>, by warner at arrayb.uucp (Dave Warner):
> I would like to pose a question for discussion, i.e.:
> 
> 	Why would anyone buy a NEW 33 MHz '486 PC to run
> 	UNIX(tm) vs. buying an ILC or SLC from Sun??? Or,
> 	for that matter, an S4000 from Solbourne???
> 
    Well  I've  worked  with  Sun's for the past 5 years and like them
    very much.  I even considered purchasing one for my  home  system.
    The  problem  does come down to cost and it's not purchase cost of
    the actual hardware.  It's maintenance cost and software cost.  At
    work we have a Sun  maintenance  agreement,  which  has  saved  us
    thousands  of  dollars.   But it is something I can't afford for a
    home system.  We have Sun 3 stuff and have replaced every  monitor
    at  least  twice  some even 4 times in the last 5 years.  The mono
    monitor is about $1900.00.  If something  breaks  on  a  PC  class
    machine the cost of replacement can be much cheaper depending upon
    your equipment.  You also have more choice of equipment, a mono PC
    monitor  will  do  in  a  pinch  if  your  VGA eats it, and so on.
    Software is another issue.  The Sun  OS  is  quite  cheap  $400.00
    (less docs I believe ), but other software is expensive.

    Of  course  this whole argument is based on the purchase of a home
    system.  If you work for a big fat corporation go for  a  Sun  and
    get  a  maintenance  agreement.   Sun's  hardware service has been
    great.  I don't bother to call the software guys, it's  usually  a
    waste of my time.

    With  all  that said I am looking at a Sun 3/50 which is now cheap
    enough (~$800) to hack into a X terminal.

   
-- 
Paul J. Emerson                           SDG Division of SAIC 
Senior Technical Manager                  450 Lakemont Ave.
UUCP:     uunet|tarpit!sdgsun!paul        Winter Park, FL 32792
Internet: sdgsun!paul at bikini.cis.ufl.edu  (407) 657-1300