[comp.unix.questions] Problems running Unix on 386 PCs ?

gary@sci34hub.UUCP (Gary Heston) (06/26/90)

In article <4460008@.HP.COM> rajs@.HP.COM (Rajeev Seth) writes:
>I was planning to buy an 80386 based PC to run Unix from say SCO, ISC or
>Esix and was wondering if anybody out there could shed any light on some
>salesmen's claims that only an AMI-designed motherboard will give
>error-free behavior for Unix. According to them, the other popular
>brand-namem motherboards such as Micronics have had problems in this
>area.

Get as far away from those salesmen as possible... Aside from our
own products (we make a variety of 286/386 systems here, using 
a Phoenix bios) Compaq, Everex, Northgate, and, oh yes, IBM systems
all run Unix quite well without being designed by AMI. AMIs' bios
is ok, but it's not the only game in town, either. There are a few
motherboards that do have problems, but these can stem from a
variety of sources, including chip set bugs and design errors. A
bios can interfere with any OS, not just Unix, but that doesn't
automatically make all bioses besides AMI useless. We've tested
systems with Award bios as well, and they work. Just ask your
potential supplier if their system will run the OS of your choice,
and buy from those that will.

-- 
    Gary Heston     { uunet!sci34hub!gary  }    System Mismanager
   SCI Technology, Inc.  OEM Products Department  (i.e., computers)
"The esteemed gentleman says I called him a liar. That's true, and I
regret it." Retief, a character created by Keith Laumer.