[OLUG] First sparc

[Rogers, John C NWD02]

Solaris 8 is free and open source now.  http://www.sun.com/solaris Sun will
maintain the OS but the money is in hardware and it kicks any Intel wannabe
machines off the planet when it comes to real systems running commercial
applications.  That is why 9 out of 10 top internet sites like Yahoo, Ebay,
Pricepoint and more all use the big Sun iron (Starfire 10's).  Intel has
it's place but for now a 2 or 4 way Intel box is a joke when compared to a 2
or 4 way Sun box running RISC and Solaris.  Intel just can not get the speed
to the disks and I/O subsystems that the RISC boxes do, especially in the
Ultra platforms running 64 bit PCI cards in them.  Plus by the time you add
ECC memory, hot swap PCI and the other hardware needed to make Intel robust
you have very few vendors making boxes (Compaq, HP, IBM).  You have spent as
much as a Sun with less shelf life.

We use LINUX/Intel where is makes sense and consider it disposable but for
our corporate data systems we always rely on Sun.  In 10 years with working
with Sun I have never had to call support to fix a box and these boxes run
365 x 24.  We just excessed a Sparc II that still was working and we bought
it in 1989.  I am sure you can find it at a DOD auction site near you soon.

Just some thoughts, checkout Solaris 8 if you get a chance and you like it.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Lassek [mailto:lunatik at radiks.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 12:45 PM
To: olug at bstc.net
Subject: Re: [OLUG] First sparc


Have they stopped giving out Solaris for free, then? I remember that
they used to give away Solaris 7 for non-commercial use. Have they
stopped?

Daniel Pfile wrote:
> 
> I'm kind of wondering what the advantage of going with sparc hardware is
> for a small computer like that... For example, your $5000 could get you a
> sparc 10... but if you go with intel hardware you get dual 650mhz pIIIs, 1
> gig of ram, 2 18 gig ultra2 disks, 100bt eth, no cdrom, basic vid. That
> was from penguin computing for a 2U rack unit.
> 
> Yes, I know sparc hardware is more reliable, and a 400 mhz sparc will eat
> a pentium of the same speed for lunch, but with dual 650s for the same
> price, that is made up. Buying an intel system gets you within .09% of
> the reliability of sparc hardware (and easier to replace if it
> smokes). You save money by using linux instead of solaris too... Although
> it looks like solaris 8 is only $75 now. Course, having hardware just to
> have it, or just to have it for a special reason is cool. I have a G3 mac
> for that reason.
> 
> Of course this only applies to a small computers, if i were buliding a
> system to run the main db for a billion dollor corp on, it'd be one big
> ass sparc.
> 
> # Daniel Pfile        # I have no cool signature.
> # pfiled at marietta.edu # Finger for free illegal software.
> 
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