Frequently Asked Questions

[greg peterson [e50774]]

I'm just getting started on UNIX and have a couple of questions
that I hope somebody will answer for me as I haven't seen them in
comp.unix.i386, comp.unix.questions or //UNIX World// even though
I have been reading them both for some time now:
 
Prices/Flavors:
According to TRC in Los Angeles) SCO UNIX System V/386 V3.2 lists
for $1890 and a XENIX 386 system lists for only $1490 and
(according to Programmer's Connection) Interactive's system costs
$1390 (all for unlimited user operating system + software
development system)? Is SCO XENIX that much better (if so, how?)
or just that much more expensive (if so, why?).
 
International UNIX:
TRC says that "All SCO International (8 bit) systems are 1.3 times
the regular price" which leads me to wonder about Interactive (I
want to be able to support kanji in a BBS although not necessarily
see it on the screen). I have an address for SCO but they have
referred me to their Japanese distributer who declines to answer
my queries... I haven't found an address for Interactive... I'd
sure appeciate one if you have it.
 
VP/ix: 
I understand that it runs "well behaved" DOS applications but
 
   1) will it run VENTURA V2.0 and
 
   2) how many such applications will it run?
 
What I have in mind is to run a multi-line host(s) plus do my own
work at the same time.  For example, Ventura/WordPerfect for me 
and plus say 4 copies of WAFFLE as the main user-accessed host 
plus plus one copy of BinkleyTerm to act as Fido mailer & general 
purpose front end for some kind of PC-Board mailer.
 
Software Development:
Last, I don't fully understand what the Software Development
Systems do and whether I need them or not.  Right now I use 
Turbo-C V2.0 and I have MicroSoft C V5.0.  Can I use them (under 
VP/ix, I would presume) to compile programs that will run under 
UNIX?

Thanks in advance....