Unix stuffs for new Unix people

[Brandon Allbery]

Expires:

Quoted from <1861 at brl-smoke.ARPA> ["Unix, here we come"], by SCTC.AFCC at AFCC-3.arpa...
+---------------
| We're going from a tenex environment to unix without much background.  A few of
| us have attended unix classes (We can at least spell unix) however for the most
| part the response has been HUH! what's a unix?
| 
| Most work, by the way, will be done at the PC level, not on line.  The on line 
| will be mainly used for Email and other office automation items we will be 
| developing. The software we will be accquiring is UNIFY DATABASE MANAGEMENT 
| SYSTEM, 20/20 SPREADSHEET and Q-OFFICE AUTOMATION UTILITIES.  We will also have
| DDN connectivity.
| 
| My questions are: First, what can anyone tell me me about the software 
| products. Anything better? What should we avoid?
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I don't know about Q-OFFICE, but I reviewed database managers and spreadsheets
for my company (Tridelta Industries, Inc.) and chose, respectively, Unify and
20/20.  Informix-SQL has a nicer interface than Unify and the database
structure can be changed while the database is in use, unlike Unify... but
Unify 3.2 has addressed the interface problem (if you aren't getting Unify 3.2
then ask for it) and Informix tends to have more bugs in non-Altos versions
(Altos being a compter company... which owns RDS, makers of Informix) and RDS
isn't sympathetic about bugs in non-Altos ports.  I also have a PD replacement
for the Unify screen form program, ENTER, which addresses the user interface
problems.  As for 20/20 -- hands down the best spreadsheet I've seen for Unix
yet.  It also has available translators from VisiCalc, DIF, Lotus 123, and
Multiplan.  And it is available for PCs, and the saved files are directly
portable from PCs to Unix and vice versa.

+---------------
| Second, any big problems we may be getting? As you know the vendors promise you
| the universe and we're lucky if we get a planet!
+---------------

Avoid Unify entirely if it's pre-3.1 (the LST report processor is trash) and
be careful about 3.1 as it's useable but not too friendly.  Again, 3.2 is the
best bet.

+---------------
| Third, we're loaded with PC's.  What type software can we obtain? Would Xenix 
| work with the Goulds?
+---------------

Hard to say.  Depends on which version of Unix you're running and what kind of
network interface you intend to use.  (If you're just going to use serial
ports there are no compatibility problems between Unices.)  I suspect only
Gould can answer this question for you.

--Brandon
-- 
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