vix@ubvax.UUCP (Paul Vixie) (09/17/87)
I am recommending a MicroPort SysV + DOSMerge environment for one of my I have had horrid experiences with every possible variety of Xenix, and I refuse to buy a sysIII system with SVID tacked on ANYWAY... Having heard all these stories about MicroPort's installation, I am worried that there is just NO decent version of Unix(tm) for 386-style machines. Could some one or ones please tell me... * are these problems with the V.2 or V.3 release, or both? * does the system work okay once you get it installed? * is the AT&T, ISC, or BellTech version just as "bad"? Send mail, I'll summarize. Please, nobody flame me for not liking Xenix. I am not trying to convince anyone else to dislike it, I just don't like it myself... -- Paul Vixie Consultant Work: 408-562-7798 vix@ubvax.ub.com Ungermann-Bass Home: 415-647-7023 ames!pyramid!ubvax!vix Santa Clara, CA <<I do not speak for Ungermann-Bass>>
dave@micropen (David F. Carlson) (09/18/87)
In article <2274@ubvax.UUCP>, vix@ubvax.UUCP (Paul Vixie) writes: > > Having heard all these stories about MicroPort's installation, I am worried > that there is just NO decent version of Unix(tm) for 386-style machines. > Could some one or ones please tell me... I have had some problems with Microport support but all in all I think the author who flamed them was wronged but over generalizing. I cannot believe Microport charged him for the disk that it sent blank. Moreover, that he was *fool* enough to pay for it!! There is a 90day warrantee with Microport-- if he was smart he would have threaten to return the whole thing and bought from Bell Tech. THey will sell you their port of Interactive's UNIX, or Microport or SCO Xenix and they have support which I cannot vouch for. In general, if a phone support person gives you the run around, ask for their boss. Don't pay for their mistakes. Don't flame to the net over an isolated incident. Consider this: how does one hire intelligent, UNIX phone support? I sure as hell wouldn't want to do it. People at Microport to ask for by name: Doug: good general tech support (others do specific problems) Henry Seltzer: head of tech support (Doug's boss) Dwight Leu: vp engineering (Henry's boss) Chuck Hickey: President of Microport (Dwight's boss) In general, these people are truly interested in their product and their customers satisfaction--especially new customers with quality control problems. -- David F. Carlson, Micropen, Inc. ...!{seismo}!rochester!ur-valhalla!micropen!dave "The faster I go, the behinder I get." --Lewis Carroll
rwwetmore@orchid.UUCP (09/18/87)
In article <2274@ubvax.UUCP> vix@ubvax.UUCP (Paul Vixie) writes: >Having heard all these stories about MicroPort's installation, I am worried >that there is just NO decent version of Unix(tm) for 386-style machines. >Could some one or ones please tell me... > > * are these problems with the V.2 or V.3 release, or both? > * does the system work okay once you get it installed? > * is the AT&T, ISC, or BellTech version just as "bad"? I have been installing and upgrading MicroPort SV/AT on a clone with a non-standard drive for well over a year now with none of the problems in installation which have been posted by a vocal few lately. Put into proper perspective, most versions of Unix(tm) are decent, and software support which can be reached 24 hours a day, and deliver upgrades or replacements within 48 hours, can't be all that bad even when screwing up. I don't believe MicroPort is shipping for the 386 yet. However, the 286 version has been pretty stable for a year or so. I have had two disk I/O write errors bring the system down in the last 9 months, and occasionally have to zap a hung process. Apart from some idiosyncracies of the system, this is the limit of random problems. There are some outstanding bugs but they seem to fall into the categories of 1) difficult to fix critical bugs but in highly specific areas, 2) oversights in some newly released stuff, 3) things that aren't considered high priority. Examples in case 1) supposed to be fixed in 2.3 are the clock runs slow, some problems with 80287 interrupts, and in case 3) MicroPort has the usual Unix attitude towards the Fortran compiler. It is a real pain if your work gets hung up on 1) or 3) problems, however this is a problem with all vendors, MicroSoft, DEC or IBM have reputations too. There is certainly room for improvement, but I don't think the case is as hopeless as one might think from the recent noise. Ross W. Wetmore | rwwetmore@water.NetNorth University of Waterloo | rwwetmore@math.waterloo.edu Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 | {clyde, ihnp4, ubc-vision, utcsri} (519) 885-1211 ext 3491 | !watmath!rwwetmore
root@hobbes.UUCP (John Plocher) (09/20/87)
+---- vix@ubvax.UUCP (Paul Vixie) writes in <2274@ubvax.UUCP> ---- | * is the AT&T, ISC, or BellTech version just as "bad"? +---- The "History" of 286 Unix AT&T <---> iNTEL * Initial port | v Microport * Customized for IBM AT | v Bell Tech * Reseller The "History" of 386 Unix AT&T <---> Interactive * Initial port | /--+--\ | v | Microport * Customized for IBM AT v Bell Tech * Generic version NOT CUSTOMIZED like uport's (This is the "raw" AT&T/ISC release) -- John Plocher uwvax!geowhiz!uwspan!plocher plocher%uwspan.UUCP@uwvax.CS.WISC.EDU
bhj@bhjat.UUCP (burt janz) (09/21/87)
I have also had cause to speak with uport about their software, and there are a couple of bugs which are driving me batty. But, having been a V6, V7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and now a uport and Sequent (screwy 4.2 kernel) user, I've seen more problems than you can shake a stick at. (flame on...) Who says UNIX has less problems than proprietary operating systems? Even VMS (Very Messed-up Syntax) has less bugs than UNIX! (flame off...) However, John Sully is also quite sharp on the uport problems, and is quite willing to help. And, he IS on the net! Try sending him mail at ..amdcad!uport!jsully. I've sent mail on problems, and have received answers which I have been EXTREMELY pleased at. I have also asked for, and received, replacement disks at no cost to myself. The option was, let them send it UPS blue at their cost, or overnight at mine. I waited the extra day. In short, those who flame on about problems at installation time probably would flame about having mustard put on their hamburger by mistake. I don't know... I think life is too short to flame at a customer support type. He didn't send you the original software. And for those who were silly enough to install uport WITHOUT reading the update notes, SHAME ON YOU!!! You were TOLD to back up your boot floppy first |->. Burt Janz
eric@sarin.UUCP (Eric Beser sys admin) (09/25/87)
I am running microport unix on this system and have experienced none of the problems that these vocal few have reported. I had some difficulty getting uucp to work right, but a few phone calls to tech support, sitting at the terminal, worked out the difficulty. I cannot report problem free operation. I still have a few problems that I am working out slowly. I am about to order 2.3, which will be the third update for this product. I do find the guy who answers the phone somewhat hard to talk to. But a call to Henry Selzer (in charge of customer support) got me to the right person who knew what they were doing. In comparison, I have had a lot of problems with microsoft that have never been resolved, and with Digital Research, which has also never been resolved. At least, with Microport, the powers to be want to talk to the end user, AND are interested in what the end user needs. If they have a quality control problem, THEY need to hear it. Perhaps someone should send copies of this bad press to them. After all, if you were walking around with a big piece of spinnach hanging from your teeth and wern't aware of it, you would probably appreciate SOMEONE telling you before you made a big jerk of yourself. Eric Beser Westinghouse DEC Baltimore Md. eric@sarin.uucp