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- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!gatech!concert!rutgers!vpbuild!admin1!u013!jessea
- From: jessea@u013.me.vp.com (Jesse W. Asher)
- Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc
- Subject: Re: Windows NT Report
- Message-ID: <1992Dec21.195317.10599@vpbuild.vp.com>
- Date: 21 Dec 92 19:53:17 GMT
- References: <18030@autodesk.COM> <64@nearside.UUCP>
- Sender: @vpbuild.vp.com
- Organization: Varco-Pruden Buildings
- Lines: 60
-
- In article <64@nearside.UUCP>, shwake@nearside.UUCP (Raymond Shwake) wrote the following:
- >
- > Based on their comments, and comparing anticipated functionality
- >and pricing, I must report with some anxiety that Unix on the Desktop could
- >be in trouble. Two of those colleagues are long-time UNIX practitioners in
- >both the development and the integration/support areas. They're now proposing
-
- I'm also a Unix bigot who is advocating (with others) moving to Windows
- NT. I have no problem doing this for several reasons:
-
- 1) Price. Unix appllications and the OS itself have long been over
- priced. Both NT and applications will be very cheap compared to those
- for Unix. Just the other day I heard about a PPP implementation that
- was being sold for Unix for $795. What a joke.
-
- 2) Range of applications. We will finally be able to run all those
- nice dos applications out on the market that have not run worth a hoot
- under unix. Not only dos, but also windows apps. And porting to NT is
- not difficult so a wealth of public domain software will still be
- available.
-
- 3) Ease of programability. Windows is much easier to problem in than
- X. Even though it doesn't have all the advantages of X, we can live
- without them for the benefits we gain. Not only that, but there are X
- servers coming out for NT for those needing X. But we finally have a
- choice.
-
- 4) Ease of usability. Nt should be a lot more easier to use for the
- user that actually has to get some work done. Sharing disks and
- printers is no longer something the user has to speed inordinate amounts
- of time learning. Users shouldn't have to spend time learning how to
- run the OS just to get it to do something. They should be spending
- their time getting their work done.
-
- 5) Ease of administration. This relates to #4 in that with NT the user
- can do many things that the sysadmin had to previously. Disk sharing,
- printer sharing, and so on are extremely easy. You will not believe how
- easy until you see it.
-
- 6) Enhancements in OS. The OS handles some things better than Unix.
- Better scheduling and able to handle 256kb off a serial port (that right
- - 256kb). They improved what needed to be improved in Unix long ago.
-
- Basically, you will have all the power of unix without a lot of the
- hassle. This is how unix should have been long ago. Now I too am
- predicting the death of Unix for workstations (PC based). Windows NT is
- just too much better than Unix for workstations. This is _not_ a
- prediction of the death of Unix. Only people that don't know anything
- about Unix predict such nonsense. Unix is still a great multi-user
- system with many advantages in other areas. But it is in big trouble
- for workstations.
-
- Besides, NT IS Unix with Windows on top of it. It is just put out by MS
- and doesn't have an AT+T copyright.
-
- --
- Jesse W. Asher (901)762-6000
- Varco-Pruden Buildings
- 6000 Poplar Ave., Suite 400, Memphis, TN 38119
- Internet: jessea@vpbuild.vp.com UUCP: vpbuild!jessea
-