[comp.unix.i386] What is INTERACTIVE UNIX and SCO UNIX?

jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (07/11/90)

Hi Friends:
   I am looking for an UNIX development system running on Zenith 386. some 
suggested INTERACTIVE UNIX. others suggested SCO UNIX. Both UNIX are new for
me. I only read an article from "UNIX Today" about the impression of system
package installation on INTERACTIVE UNIX. I still don't know much details 
about the INTERACTIVE UNIX and SCO UNIX. What I most concern are the technical
supports, compatibilities with System V and BSD socket system, the performance,
and the capability of running TCP/IP, NFS, and X-Window system. Are someone 
out there have any experience with the INTERACTIVE UNIX or SCO UNIX? I 
appreciate any comments from them. Thanks in advance.

Jian Q. Li
jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu

burkett@wf-aus.cactus.org (Craig Burkett) (07/16/90)

jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:

> Hi Friends:
>    I am looking for an UNIX development system running on Zenith 386. some 
> suggested INTERACTIVE UNIX. others suggested SCO UNIX. Both UNIX are new for
> me. I only read an article from "UNIX Today" about the impression of system
> package installation on INTERACTIVE UNIX. I still don't know much details 
> about the INTERACTIVE UNIX and SCO UNIX. What I most concern are the technica
> supports, compatibilities with System V and BSD socket system, the performanc
> and the capability of running TCP/IP, NFS, and X-Window system. Are someone 
> out there have any experience with the INTERACTIVE UNIX or SCO UNIX? I 
> appreciate any comments from them. Thanks in advance.
> 
> Jian Q. Li
> jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu

burkett@wf-aus.cactus.org (Craig Burkett) (07/16/90)

jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:

> Hi Friends:
>    I am looking for an UNIX development system running on Zenith 386. some 
> suggested INTERACTIVE UNIX. others suggested SCO UNIX. Both UNIX are new for
> me. I only read an article from "UNIX Today" about the impression of system
> package installation on INTERACTIVE UNIX. I still don't know much details 
> about the INTERACTIVE UNIX and SCO UNIX. What I most concern are the technica
> supports, compatibilities with System V and BSD socket system, the performanc
> and the capability of running TCP/IP, NFS, and X-Window system. Are someone 
> out there have any experience with the INTERACTIVE UNIX or SCO UNIX? I 
> appreciate any comments from them. Thanks in advance.
> 
> Jian Q. Li
> jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu

I am strongly compelled to tell you that Interactive's technical support
program leaves little to be desired and would recommend that you look into 
another vendor such as ESSEX to acquire a UNIX platform since they seem
to have a good support mechanism. As for me I'll just have to lick my wounds

rick@tmiuv0.uucp (07/18/90)

In article <24918.269af3a8@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>, jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:
> Hi Friends:
>    I am looking for an UNIX development system running on Zenith 386. some 
> suggested INTERACTIVE UNIX. others suggested SCO UNIX. Both UNIX are new for
> me. I only read an article from "UNIX Today" about the impression of system
> package installation on INTERACTIVE UNIX. I still don't know much details 
> about the INTERACTIVE UNIX and SCO UNIX. What I most concern are the technical
> supports, compatibilities with System V and BSD socket system, the performance,
> and the capability of running TCP/IP, NFS, and X-Window system. Are someone 
> out there have any experience with the INTERACTIVE UNIX or SCO UNIX? I 
> appreciate any comments from them. Thanks in advance.
> 
> Jian Q. Li
> jian@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu

Well, I have SCO Unix here at the office, but I've not installed it on a
system (the hardware hasn't shown up yet).  I can't give you any real info
about it other than vague assertions about the manuals (which I'm not
overly happy about).  The SCO manuals appear to be well done in the sense
of physical appearance, but they decided to go away from the "blah(1)",
"blah(2)" method of numbering manual pages, and instead created their own.
What in "normal" SVR3 documentation would be "cpio(1)", for example, is
"cpio(C)" (the "C" meaning "command").  In a similar fashion, they have
ADM (administration), HW (hardware), and others.

At home, I use Everex's ESIX.  Now, this is a subjective opinion, but I find
it to be a good implementation of System V, Release 3.  The tech support
folk at ESIX are terrific, and you absolutely cannot beat the price.  A
full unlimited user system with development software including the manuals
is somewhere around $800 (U.S.), whereas the equivalent SCO Unix is about
$1500 or so.  Interactive's is about the same price as SCO's product.

Also, ESIX has a really nice upgrade policy.  For example, to upgrade from
their revision C product to their new revision D, all you need to do is
send them $95 (U.S.) and your boot disk and they send you an entirely new
set of disks.  I've heard that an eqivalent upgrade from ISC is about $600,
but I may have heard wrong.

All in all, I'd suggest ESIX.  It's good, cheap, efficient, and the tech
support is the best of all three.
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[- O] Rick Stevens
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                                - Baby Herman in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"
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