n177ac@tamuts.tamu.edu (Daryl Biberdorf) (01/21/91)
The Amiga 3000UX is supposed to list for about $4995. This will include between 4 and 8 MB of RAM (forgot exactly), 100 MB hard disk, monitor, and SVR4. I can't imagine educational pricing being below $3600 for this machine (probably closer to $4000...they *do* have to make a profit, remember...and that AT&T license wasn't cheap). In any event, $3600 still doesn't touch the $900 I paid for my 2x40 3B1 with development kit last May. Granted, this machine isn't going to suck the markings off the 3000's chips, but it's quick enough. And for 25% of the price (and that's for EVERYONE...not just students and faculty), it's not a bad deal. The smaller scale of the UNIX on this machine also makes it attractive...I don't NEED 100 MB of disk to have a useable machine. I'd bet that 100 MB for the 3000UX will prove to be pretty minimal...you'll probably want more. Just trying to keep things in perspective. $5k is cheap, but it'st still a lot more than what I gave for this box. --Daryl Biberdorf, n177ac@tamuts.tamu.edu "3B1 owner, Amiga user, allergy sufferer"
thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan) (01/22/91)
n177ac@tamuts.tamu.edu (Daryl Biberdorf) in <11375@helios.TAMU.EDU> writes:
The Amiga 3000UX is supposed to list for about $4995. This will
include between 4 and 8 MB of RAM (forgot exactly), 100 MB hard disk,
monitor, and SVR4. I can't imagine educational pricing being below
$3600 for this machine ...
In any event, $3600 still doesn't touch the $900 I paid for my
2x40 3B1 with development kit last May. Granted, this machine isn't
going to suck the markings off the 3000's chips, but it's quick
[...]
Didn't see the original message for which Daryl's posting is a reply, but I
don't recall anyone "blasting" the 3B1 anywhere recently. I, too, have both
types of systems (Amiga and 3B1), and because OF the price point, here are
some salient features of the A3000:
Motorola 68030 at 25MHz, 32-bit data bus, 68881 or 68882, mouse, keyboard,
on-board SCSI, etc.
UNIX SVR4 plus X-Windows and Open Look. All man pages and documentation from
AT&T
four Zorro III (A3000) expansion slots, 2 PC AT expansion slots, 1 video
expansion slot, 1 CPU (68040) and CACHE expansion slot. Note on this: the
A3000, like the 3B1, has a DOS coprocessor card accessory. On the A3000 one
can also plug in other coprocessor cards (i.e. IBM/370, C/PM, whatever; and
DON'T look incredulous about "IBM/370" ... that was a special card set mfd
by IBM using two custom-masked MC68000 chips which totally emulates the 370).
Stock configs of the A3000:
3000UX-100, 5MB RAM, 100MB HD
3000UX-200, 9MB RAM, 200MB HD
both units expandable to 18MB RAM on motherboard, more on expansion cards.
Pricing hasn't been publicly announced, but something around $5,000-$6,000
seems to be what's on everyone's lips. Details at Uniforum this week.
Graphics resolutions up to 1024x800 with A2410 card. 4-channel stereo sound
stock. Built-on speech with variable rate,pitch,volume,inflection,gender.
Accessories include Ethernet, multiport RS232, 286AT card, tapes, etc.
With SVR4, the A3000 makes a nice adjunct to the 3B1. I like both systems,
and a number of members of the local AT&T UNIX Users' Group have both also.
Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com ]thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan) (01/27/91)
david@twg.com (David S. Herron) in <8604@gollum.twg.com> writes:
Namely that Mark Ditto (the guy doing/developing "Amix") ...
Actually his name is Mike Ditto. :-)
Almost agreed. A/UX v2.1 is still a hacked up SysVr2.x isn't it?
Do you have any idea how ***OLD*** r2.x is?
As much am I'm cringing admitting this in public, I'm (among other things) an
"official" Apple Partner Developer (to the tune of $600+/year). As such, I
have several A/UX boxes and, as many have read in comp.unix.aux and other
places, I've been blasting A/UX at every opportunity and for GOOD reason. It
was (and still is) my contention that A/UX is simply a marketing ploy by Apple
to insinuate Macs into the government sector to satisfy certain purchasing
requirements (e.g. multi-tasking). Supporting my contention, please note that
several members of the A/UX Development Team have recently responded to me in
public (comp.unix.aux) and in email with:
"If you didn't want the MacOS, why'd you get A/UX?"
Sheesh, I only wanted to run UNIX on some of the hardware I had at my office.
The A/UX is based on SVR2 (circa 1983) and BSD4.2 (circa 1983), and it shows
in MANY ways (esp. if you remember my postings late last year regarding the
manifold deficiences of A/UX compared to even the 3B1's system, esp. in areas
like terminal support, curses, compatibilty with SysV, etc.). Some tests I've
run at my office show a well-configured 3B1 outperforming my A/UX boxes (but,
the 3B1s I have also outperform my VAX 11/780 systems in some aspects, too)).
The option to use the BSD FFS (Fast File System) is nice with A/UX, but far too
many areas of A/UX 2.* are still ancient and simply not worth the cost of the
system from Apple given there are so many better, more-modern and less costly
systems available from other vendors.
Apple's features of A/UX 2.01 are support for the IIci (BFD; if they designed
their hardware and software correctly there'd be NO compatibilty problems), and
the inclusion of ksh 1988e (whoopee, I can do the same for the 3B1 if I choose
to pay $3,000 for source and $10,000 for binary distribution rights to AT&T's
ToolChest).
For a multi-billion dollar per year company like Apple attempting to pull the
wool over everyone's eyes in 1991 with a "new, improved" product that's really
over 8 years old is the epitome of audacity and arrogance.
Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com ]