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From: gowen@apex.cs.tufts.edu (Gregory Owen)
Subject: Re: BSD UNIX
In-Reply-To: newman@netcom.com's message of Mon, 30 Aug 1993 17:54:45 GMT
Message-ID: <GOWEN.93Aug30234233@apex.cs.tufts.edu>
Sender: news@news.tufts.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: Tufts University Department of Computer Science
References: <newmanCCL33A.GBo@netcom.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 04:42:33 GMT
Lines: 53
newman@netcom.com writes:
> My local college computer store has a BSD based UNIX for only $249
> but it requires a 486. Does anyone know of a BSD of Sys V Based UNIX
> for the PC that runs on a 386 and costs $249 or less.
I can name three alternatives off the top of my head. There is
Linux, a free Unix clone, which is written by torvalds@helsinki.fi and
developed for by multitudes of net people. There are several groups
devoted to it, comp.os.linux.* (note comp.os.linux itself is soon to
be superseded by the new groups; don't post there). It runs on 386+
machines with ISA and EISA bus (No MCA report but rumors of it working
have been seen; if you have true blue IBM it might or might not work).
Linux attempts to comply to POSIX, SysV, and BSD in that
order, I believe. I note it is much more BSD than Solaris, which is a
SysV4 system.
Linux supports most any major package you want: gcc 2.4.5,
emacs 19.whatver-today-is, X, LaTeX, ghostscript, etc. etc. Heavy usage
of GNU software, and the kernel itself is copylefted and source freely
distributed. Ftp sites are tsx-11.mit.edu (avoid!) and
sunsite.unc.edu (good), to name two. Read the HOWTOs and the Getting
Started guide first, if you are interested -- there's a lot of FAQs
but you don't need all of them to go.
A second alternative which is, I believe, free, is 386bsd
which has the newsgroups comp.os.386bsd.* devoted to it. I know very
little about it except that it is not copylefted (berkely copyright, I
think) and that asking "which is better, 386bsd or linux?" is a 100%
sure way to create 2 months worth of noise on any newsgroup. I'd
advise you to find someone who uses it to get an opinion; I have no
experience with it.
One commercial option is Mark Williams Coherent, a $99 Unix
advertised in many Unix mags. I hear it is nice but perhaps a bit
slow in development, as all commercial apps are -- Linux has a new
kernel release a minimum of once a month to fix and improve things.
(note the obvious bias here. Don't flame me, pls.) Last I heard X
support had been introduced as an add-on.
I've been using Linux since may and am tickled pink with it.
I'd been stuck in DOS for so long, and love having an operating system
that isn't crippled. Just a personal testament.
Good luck, and I'm willing to answer questions sent to my tufts
address. The work address will be ignored as I'm hitting vacation
time.
Greg Owen { gowen@forte.cs.tufts.edu, gowen@xis.xerox.com }
1.01 GCS/GO d++ p+ c++ l++ u++ e+ -m+ s++/- n- h !(f)? g+ -w+ t+ r-- y?
"These fragments I have shored against my ruins/Why then Ile fit you.
Hieronymo's mad againe./Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata."