Unix & X-Windows on 386SX

[Bob Palowoda]

>From article <2389 at sixhub.UUCP>, by davidsen at sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr):
> In article <1990Nov23.182943.21094 at cs.dal.ca> newsome at ug.cs.dal.ca (SEX MANIAC IN TRAINING) writes:
>         [ he wants DOS under UNIX and X ]
> 
> | Can anybody advise on the following:  1) The amount of Disk Space for the OS?
> | 2) The availability of Unix/Xenix etc from companies (ie who makes reliable
> | versions.) 3) Where can I get X-Windows systems and cost involved.  Hardware
> | required?
> 
>   Two things come to mind, OpenDeskTop and Dell V.4. Therefore:
> 
>   1) ODT comes on about 60 floppies. By careful selection you can run on
> an 80 MB drive, but 100+ is better. DellV4 comes on 150MB tapes only at
> the moment (since you can make 60MB releases, they could, just a
> marketing decision). DV4 takes about 100MB for a start.

  I really don't understand why you compare 3.2 version of UNIX to
a 4.0 version of UNIX. I beleive the file system is a little different 
between the two.  ODT is 3.2 isn't it?  Why SCO's marketing ever gave
it that name I'll never know. Every time I think of it I picture some
desk that has a trap door in it and you open it up to take a look inside.
 

>   3) Both include X in the base price. Both list just under $1k, ODT is
> discounted as bit, as it's been on the market longer.
   
   I thought Dell was selling UNIX before SCO.

> Very quick and dirty comparison.
> 
>   ODT features X11R3, an obsolete version of X which runs virtually
> nothing of the net software. DV4 currently lacks xmkmf, which makes
> porting anthing painful but possible.

   Ahh so we can call it SCO's X11R3. 
  
>   ODT includes MOTIF, Athena widgets are available if you sign a
> non-disclosure (yes on public domain code). DV4 includes MOTIF,
> OpenLook, TWM, UWM (yecch) and will compile tvtwm with no changes but
> beating the makefile.

   Does DOS run in a window with both products? 

>   ODT supports a reasonable bunch of displays and modes. DV4 supports
> 640x480x16 (but better stuff is in beta, etc).

  What about Dell's 3.2 UNIX does it support about as many modes as
SCO X11?

>   ODT doesn't include a developments set, you can get one for something
> like $1500. When you do it cross compiles to OS/2, DOS, Xenix[23]86,
> etc. DV4 includes the AT&T compiler, and actually doesn't do a bad job.
> GCC will be available for V.4 soon if it isn't already.

  It appears the the DOS market is moveing to Windows apps. Does any one
out there know if the Windows Development Kit runs under SCO's development
system? Or has anyone been able to run Windows 3.0 under any version
of 3.2 UNIX.

>   Multiuser upgrade for ODT is $1k+, DV4 is $300.

  I think SCO has to pay the other addin packages that come in Open
DeskTop. So it looks like a portion goes over to Ingres and Secureware.
I beleive X11R3 was written multiuser already. 

>   ODT has C2 security, DV2 doesn't, but has shadow password. Both
> companies consider this a feature. I would gladly pay another $200-300
> for ODT with the security ripped out, but if you are running a system
> under constant attack by spies or hackers it has some benefits.

 I beleive you mean DV4 up there. Or DV3? Anyways it is a sad day when
buyers are willing to pay more to take a feature out of product. C2 is
not part of UNIX. It's part of the goverment. I like ISC idea you buy
it in a different package. What's wrong with that. 

>   You will not run X with any useful speed in less than 8MB. I've added
> another 4 and it didn't help without the FPU, I'll have to try again
> now. Memory is cheap, use a bunch. Even a 33MHz 486 is a total pig with
> 4MB.
 
   So is ESIX.
  
>   Hope this is useful, I'm sure someone will describe the comparable
> ESIX product, which lists for $825. I haven't got the experience with
> it, and I believe that the package lacks NFS and SLIP, so was not
> anything I evaluated.

  The $825 price is the unlimited version. I beleive you where talking
about two user version of Dell and SCO.  

---Bob

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