UNIX-pc Expectations (Was Re: More weirdness) [LONG]

[Gil Kloepfer Jr.]

In article <4600 at killer.UUCP> loci at killer.UUCP (loci!clb) writes:
|>	Here we go again. Periodically, for some reason, everyone seems
|>	to flame anything and everything about their unixpc and I feel
|>	compelled to say ...
|>
|>	MY UNIXPC WORKS FINE AND I LIKE IT.

Excuse me...

|>      Don't get me wrong, I know
|>	that there are some problems and I some combinations that don't
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|>	work so well, but my system is quite stable and reliable. It
|>	has been on line for as much as six months at a time, without
|>	panics or anything.

This is good, but if you are saying that there are some problems, your
UNIX pc is NOT running fine.

Mine runs "fine" but there are some SERIOUS bugs in the OS, particularly
in the phone and OBM/Serial driver routines which should be fixed.  I think
that most of us can safely say that we like our UNIX pc's or we wouldn't be
participating and reading this newsgroup -- we would simply sell our 3B1s
and buy a -386 (gak!?).

|>	On the other hand, I know a couple of things that are sure kills
|>	on the machine, like exiting from DOS-73 in skinny font or doing
|>	a rastop to an odd address, but mostly the unixpc is every bit as
|>	good as any machine I've ever seen and much better than most.

The machine is pretty good as far as I'm concerned.  The problem with DOS-73
and rastop are both software problems.

|>	What am I running? SysV, vers. 3.0, standard uucp, OBM, smail.

If you are a heavy uucp site, you will have problems with your "standard" uucp,
as well as if you try and use a telebit or the like.  For you, this is fine.
For others who want this more extended config, what do they do? (the 3B1
allegedly supports this)...

|>	What am I not running? ua, ph (the PANIC BUTTON program took
|>	over the ph spot on the upper line). I used to have trouble
|>	running several users but more ram fixed that. Development
|>	can coexist with hack and uucp or whatever.

If ua, ph, or other "layered" software products that people pay money for
doesn't work, don't you think someone(?) should scream about it?

Since there seems to be a commitment on AT&T's and Convergent's part to NOT
release the source code to the UNIX running on the 3B1 or the utility
programs, we are at the mercy of whoever(?) "fixes" these packages if we wish
to use them.  For ua, ph, wmgr, etc.. we could write our own.  Ever try
reverse-engineering UNIX from scratch?  Not fun...

|>	SO...please try to keep some balance here. the unixpc isn't
|>	perfect but it's not that bad either.

I think we all feel this way, again, or else we wouldn't be here...

|>			CLBrunow - KA5SOF
|>	Loci Products, POB 833846-131, Richardson, Texas 75083
|>	   clb at loci.uucp, loci at killer.uucp, loci at csccat.uucp

Side note -- as I said in my last posting -- I think that many of the problems
in the UNIX pc are SOFTWARE related.  I know there are folks at AT&T who read
this group...  Being someone who works for a company that does software
development, I know that certain things can't be fixed because company policy
and/or admin.($$) prohibits it.  However, there is a very large group of UNIX pc
users out here, and I think AT&T should begin to consider a better support
policy for those of us with UNIX pcs.  If they are NOT going to do this, then
how about putting out feelers for some kind of 3rd party OS/utility software
maintenance/development?  I have a definite interest in this kind of
arrangement.

+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| Gil Kloepfer, Jr.                  | Net-Address:                           |
| ICUS Software Systems              | {boulder,talcott}!icus!limbic!gil      |
| P.O. Box 1                         | Voice-net: (516) 968-6860              |
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