[net.arch] more on the 386! <FLAME>

dave@enmasse.UUCP (Dave Brownell) (11/04/85)

In article <8@i80386.UUCP> kds@i80386.UUCP (Ken Shoemaker) writes:
> First, thanks for all the offers of congratulations!  Second, an apology
> for this note being a little late, I was out of town for a while, but as
> a result, unix has now been running on the 386 on 3 continents!

*****	FLAMES ON MEDIUM

Looks like there's now a USENET machine dedicated to deluging us with
i80386 ADVERTISING.  I've seen at least TWO of the EIGHT postings from
that machine.  They've been almost ALL ADVERTISING.  (Neat trick, using
thousands of dollars of other people's money to keep your advertising
budget down.)

To summarize key points of the posting:
    0) UNIX (?? XENIX ??) is running on the 386 in 3 continents.
    1) The 800 number is good only in the US.
    2) Please not so much USENET mail, I have work to do.
    3) There's a small '386 card that plugs into a '286 socket.
    4) XENIX rel 3 runs on the '386 using '286 code.
    5) See 10/17 Electronic Design for one of three articles on '386.
    6) Also see WSJ & London Times.
THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS TO TAKE 69 LINES.  See the above summary.

THERE IS NO REASON FOR MOST OF IT TO BE ON USENET.  Only numbers 3 & 4
are technical.  Number 5 is also of interest to technoids.  But the rest,
and the size, are suitable only for marketing pronouncements.  The prose
was the sort of breathless rave I'm more used to hearing from
soon-to-be-heartbroken adolescents.

Of what technical interest is it that Intel has delivered boxes on two
other islands?  OR that they have a good PR staff?  OR that there is no
international 800 service?  OR that too much EMAIL keeps you from your job?
(None of this can be a surprise to those of us born with heads.)

Here's one vote for net.dev-null.intel.

> And finally a correction.  Pete Kaiser at DEC notified me that the
> MicroVAX II was running Ultrix on the net before they announced it.
> I guess that puts us in good company!

    TALK ABOUT PUBLIC BACK-PATTING ...

***** FLAMES OFF

Yes there's no doubt that the '386 is significant, given PCs and Clones.
But the sort of netiquette displayed by the advertising I've seen here
makes me ill.  Please, folks at Intel, provide only REAL TECHNICAL INFO
using REAL TECHNICAL PROSE.  Even if you are (justifiably) proud at
getting your product out the door.
-- 
David Brownell
EnMasse Computer Corp
...!{harvard,talcott,genrad}!enmasse!dave

phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (11/08/85)

In article <491@enmasse.UUCP> dave@enmasse.UUCP (Dave Brownell) writes:
>In article <8@i80386.UUCP> kds@i80386.UUCP (Ken Shoemaker) writes:
>> First, thanks for all the offers of congratulations!  Second, an apology
>> for this note being a little late, I was out of town for a while, but as
>> a result, unix has now been running on the 386 on 3 continents!
>*****	FLAMES ON MEDIUM
>Looks like there's now a USENET machine dedicated to deluging us with
>i80386 ADVERTISING.  I've seen at least TWO of the EIGHT postings from
>that machine.  They've been almost ALL ADVERTISING. 

Hey, Ken was the guy who ported Xenix to the first silicon of a device
which is among the most complicated ever designed. I would think
people would be pleased to hear from such a primary source. It's not
as though he were marketing slime. He's a real engineer/programmer.
And I think he has a right to be proud of this accomplishment.

Would you be upset if Dennis Ritche posted an article about Unix
on USENET? 

>thousands of dollars of other people's money to keep your advertising
>budget down.)

The question is whether members of this net want to hear such things.
The answer seems to be, for the most part, yes. And it isn't as though
the postings were that many bytes. Try reading net.flame or net.audio
as a comparison.

And intelca does more than its share for the net, they aren't just a
free-loading leaf node.

It would be a shame if postings such as yours inhibited the good
technical people like Ken Shoemaker from sharing with the network.
-- 
 The California Lottery may be a tax on the stupid, but at least
 some of the proceeds are used for education.

 Phil Ngai +1 408 749-5720
 UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil
 ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.dec.com

mdm@ecn-pc.UUCP (Mike D McEvoy) (11/10/85)

In article <491@enmasse.UUCP> dave@enmasse.UUCP (Dave Brownell) writes:
>Please, folks at Intel, provide only REAL TECHNICAL INFO
>using REAL TECHNICAL PROSE.  Even if you are (justifiably) proud at
>getting your product out the door.
>-- 
>David Brownell
>EnMasse Computer Corp

Dave

A very wise man - Lazurus Long (Time Enough For Love, Robert Heinlien)
once wrote:

	"One mans religion is another man's belly laugh".

To slightly paraphrase, one man's marketing BS is another man's technical
description.  Marketing/management people usually can't help the fact that
they take four times the needed (minimum) time to express their thoughts.  

I think if you would run a survey, you would find that the majority of the net
enjoyed INTEL's description more than your summary.

Big Mac

PS   Hope you've recovered from your INTEL induced illness.