the world is not all vaxen

[Peter da Silva]

> Wrong! WRONG! >WRONG!!!< 
> For the sake of arguement, let's define a micro as a computer with 
> a standard semiconductor chip-set (68000-series, 32032, 80286, NCR-32, etc.)
> and a mini as something like a VAX, a RISC machine and others....

I like the definition of a micro as anything with a 1-chip CPU, and a mini
as anything from several chips to a board for a CPU (thus allowing the LSI-11
chipsets in as micros), but I see no conflict here.

> Machines with high speed memory buses and SMD disks will run FASTER than
> a VAX 780 and certainly faster than a VAX 750 (not to mention a PDP-11
> running V7 :-)) I have run benchmarks on many machines from CONVEX to
> PDP-11/23 and I KNOW that for computation the VAX is bad in price/performance.

True. And an 11/70 outperforms it in multiuser benchmarks.

> In terms of I/O bandwidth, it becomes of function of controllers, buses, and
> disks as well as memory and CPU.

> With the wide variety of all those things
> in the mini market, there are machine that optimize all those things and
> beat the vax hands down.

In the mini market. How many *micros* running UNIX would you trust with 35
users doing cs-project type stuff at once?

> >Also, don't you mean Maxtor 5.25"? Last I heard 8"
> >hard drives were pretty much a loss.
> >
> >Yeh. I's LOVE a system with a Maxtor whateveritis (the 380Meg 5.25"
> >drive), unfortunately nobody seems to be using them. Anyone have any idea
> >why not?
> 
> The 8" are.

Pretty much a loss?

> The OEM's I work for on occasion use the 140 version which is
> VERY reliable. They are still waiting on the 380 to evaluate. This implies to
> me that they are [not] available yet, so people CAN'T use them.

Damn. they've only been advertised for a zillion years.
-- 
	Peter (Made in Australia) da Silva
		UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter
		MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076