hart@cp1.UUCP (Rod Hart) (01/18/86)
I am getting ready to purchase a pc version of Unix and would to like to know which is the best between xenix and venix. Has anyone had experience with both and can make a recommendation. Compatibility with Sys V is important. Thanks! -- =========================================================================== Signed by: Rod Hart (WA3MEZ) Minicomputer Technical Support District Chesapeake & Potomac Tel. Co. A Bell Atlantic Company Silver Spring, Md. UUCP: aplvax!cp1!hart - aplcen!cp1!hart - umcp-cs!cp1!hart - gamma!cp1!hart INTERNET: umcp-cs!aplvax!cp1!hart@SEISMO.CSS.GOV ===========================================================================
campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell) (01/20/86)
> I am getting ready to purchase a pc version of Unix and would > to like to know which is the best between xenix and venix. Has anyone > had experience with both and can make a recommendation. Compatibility > with Sys V is important. Thanks! > -- > Signed by: > aplvax!cp1!hart - aplcen!cp1!hart - umcp-cs!cp1!hart - gamma!cp1!hart > umcp-cs!aplvax!cp1!hart@SEISMO.CSS.GOV I have used VENIX v2.0 (V7-based) a lot, VENIX 5.0 a little (Sys V based), and XENIX 3.0 (Sys III based) a little. The choice would not be clear cut, except for one thing. It's IMPOSSIBLE to find anything in the XENIX manuals because they're unbundled. That means there are three different, separately priced packages, and their manuals are sold separately. No more just looking commands up alphabetically in Volume 1, system calls in Volume 2, etc. You have to guess which doc set the thing is in. Quick: is 'sed' in the kernel kit, the programmer's kit, or the text processing kit? How about 'awk'? What about 'csh'? I have nearly heaved my XENIX manuals against the wall on several occasions because of this brain damage. VENIX 5.0 is also unbundled (which is good because it reduces the entry price), but the manuals are not. When you buy the kernel kit, you get the complete manual set, in order, the way you like it. Some programs you won't have, unless you bought all three kits. But at least you can find things in the manual. Documentation aside, they're very similar. The XENIX C compiler is somewhat better -- VENIX's allows only one 64K data segment (but unlimited code). Last I looked, VENIX didn't come with troff (nroff only) while XENIX did. VENIX has some real-time features (preemptive process priorities) you might find useful. And the installation procedure for VENIX is much easier than for XENIX. Basically it's a wash, but if you want to have usable manuals, get VENIX. -- Larry Campbell The Boston Software Works, Inc. ARPA: maynard.UUCP:campbell@harvard.ARPA 120 Fulton Street UUCP: {harvard,cbosgd}!wjh12!maynard!campbell Boston MA 02109
rich@rexago1.UUCP (K. Richard Magill) (01/22/86)
In article <209@maynard.UUCP> campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell) writes: >> I am getting ready to purchase a pc version of Unix... >be clear cut, except for one thing. It's IMPOSSIBLE to find anything >in the XENIX manuals because they're unbundled. That means there are >three different, separately priced packages, and their manuals are >sold separately. No more just looking commands up alphabetically in >Volume 1, system calls in Volume 2, etc. You have to guess which doc >set the thing is in. I got news for somebody... Our SV manuals come in N parts. Not just 3. I've screamed & b****ed bout this many times. Agreed they come loose leaf but I'm a consultant brought in after the fact & if I re-arranged manuals somebody else would scream. Every time I think I know where they all are I find there are really N + 1 parts. Thus far I've found: Core Pack Software Generation Software Extended Utilities Basic Networking Extended Software Generation Printer Spooling This is for a 3b2/300 & there is also information in tutorial style doc that isn't covered in the man pages. K. Richard Magill BTW, *I*S* there a man page for cc, at, or sdb?
caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX) (01/23/86)
In article <209@maynard.UUCP> campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell) writes: >> I am getting ready to purchase a pc version of Unix and would >> to like to know which is the best between xenix and venix. Has anyone >> had experience with both and can make a recommendation. Compatibility >> with Sys V is important. Thanks! >> -- >> Signed by: >> aplvax!cp1!hart - aplcen!cp1!hart - umcp-cs!cp1!hart - gamma!cp1!hart >> umcp-cs!aplvax!cp1!hart@SEISMO.CSS.GOV > >I have used VENIX v2.0 (V7-based) a lot, VENIX 5.0 a little (Sys V >based), and XENIX 3.0 (Sys III based) a little. The choice would not >be clear cut, except for one thing. It's IMPOSSIBLE to find anything >in the XENIX manuals because they're unbundled. That means there are SCO SYS V Xenix has the manuals arranged the same way, but the man pages do not print different programs on one sheet, so they could be rearranged / added to / etc. I don't like the Microsoft arrangement, but I've gotten used to it. > >Documentation aside, they're very similar. The XENIX C compiler is >somewhat better -- VENIX's allows only one 64K data segment (but >unlimited code). Last I looked, VENIX didn't come with troff (nroff >only) while XENIX did. VENIX has some real-time features (preemptive >process priorities) you might find useful. And the installation >procedure for VENIX is much easier than for XENIX. > >Basically it's a wash, but if you want to have usable manuals, get VENIX. Not having a true blue SYS V Unix, I can't comment on the extent of compatibility. I have heard that some tests in the AT&T SYS V Suite cannot be run on 16 bitters hostile to Unix, which includes the 80286. Large/huge model is still rather buggy, but it is often possible to get a particular program to run given sufficient hacking time to outwit the Microsoft Cmerge compiler. There is a possibility the large/huge model will be corrected before the 286 it totally obsolete. The main thing missing from SYS III/V are graphics and the ability to specify an arbitrary program instead of getty. The Xenix installation is quite straightforward. There are options to control which sub-packages to install, which makes life easier on 20 meg systems. Installation of the IBM Xenix was easy also. Bottom line: Xenix does work on the AT. Is doesn't have anything to do with IBM's description of the AT as a "4 gigabyte virtual memory" system, but it is an improvement on PDP-11's assuming one doesn't need graphics or PDP-11 specific software. -- Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX ...!tektronix!reed!omen!caf CIS:70715,131 Author of Professional-YAM communications Tools for PCDOS and Unix Omen Technology Inc 17505-V NW Sauvie Island Road Portland OR 97231 Voice: 503-621-3406 TeleGodzilla: 621-3746 300/1200 L.sys entry for omen: omen Any ACU 1200 1-503-621-3746 se:--se: link ord: Giznoid in:--in: uucp
davidsen@steinmetz.UUCP (Davidsen) (01/27/86)
In article <1135@cp1.UUCP> hart@cp1.UUCP (Rod Hart) writes: > > I am getting ready to purchase a pc version of Unix and would >to like to know which is the best between xenix and venix. Has anyone >had experience with both and can make a recommendation. Compatibility >with Sys V is important. Thanks! >-- I have not used venix (the lack of troff ended consideration at our site) but have used SCO XENIX SysV.2, and find it to be compatible with the SysV on the VAX, Cray2 (yes I have used one) and 3B2. The C compiler is not pcc, but rather a variant which knows about small, medium, and large models, as well as huge (linear address space) model on 286 version only. The C compiler and word processing are unbundled, leading to a reduced price if you don't really need the whole thing. So far we have given this to five users having varying levels of skill, and all have been happy. For fancy configuration a guru is helpful, but the average user will be fine. Everybody thought the manuals were better than the VAX manuals, particularly the word processing manuals. The manuals are unbundled, too, which helps our word processing types but means an occational extra lookup for the heavy UNIX types. Avoid at all costs the IBM version of XENIX (SysIII), which has many "learning experiences" missing in the SCO version. The SCO hotline is fair on response time, very good on finally getting to someone who knows the answer (and they do call you back). NOTE: (1) this is not a comment on the relative or absolute value of venix, (2) although I evaluated XENIX for my company and submitted these same finding, these opinions have not been officially adopted by my company as yet. -- -bill davidsen seismo!rochester!steinmetz!--\ / \ ihnp4! unirot ------------->---> crdos1!davidsen \ / chinet! ---------------------/ (davidsen@ge-crd.ARPA) "It seemed like a good idea at the time..."