From: umunk@naxos.sni.de (Udo Munk) Subject: Re: Coherent vs. Linux - a comparo Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1993 15:47:46 GMT
dans@panix.com (Dan Simoes) writes:
[...]
>Let's talk about Linux for a second, and compare it to Coherent,
>from what I have gleaned by reading c.o.linux for a few weeks:
I can't agree with your compare completely, so I added some
comments. But please notice: I'm not very familar with Linux,
I installed it once on a system and played several hours hours with.
I was impressed about all the work done by the net community, but
I wasn't satisfied because Linux still is under heavy construction,
no documentation is available and Linux doesn't follow any standard.
Parts from every UNIX system are pulled in (a little bit SV.3,
a little bit SV.4, a little bit BSD, a little bit POSIX.1), instead
of makeing it compatible to one standart and use the appropriate
flags in the Makefile of applications, to compile them under Linux.
>Coherent Linux
>======== =====
>Mostly SysV ditto, more so
>No networking (pending) yes
COHERENT doesn't support TCP/IP on an ethernet yet (under construction).
It does support ARCNET and SLIP on serial lines (modem or direct).
>COFF binaries (i.e. SCO) no
>terrible i/o much better
>limited device support tons
There isn't really a limit. Everyone could get a device driver kit
from MWC and write drivers for any devices. Also there are additional
commercial third party drivers and freeware drivers available.
>dos commands ditto
>no dos emulator beta, "works w/60% of programs"
Yes, but the DOS emulator can't run Windows 3.1 in enhanced 386 mode.
Also I'm really wondering how long you are willing to support and use
DOS/Windows anymore, when you can have UNIX/X11 on your box.
I prefer it to boot DOS when I sometimes want to run a DOS
application, I'm really happy that the COHERENT kernel isn't blown
up with a DOS emulator. I would like to hear from someone, which
applications are missing under UNIX/X11, so that you really have
a need for a DOS emulator in an UNIX kernel. Don't tell me that
the DOS games are better than those under UNIX and you want to
have it for playing only ;-)
>stable ???
>small, easy to install bigger, perhaps harder (haven't done it)
Only stock COHERENT is smaller then Linux. If you install the device
driver kit, GNU C/C++, X11, emacs, elm, news sytems/news reader...
you'll not find a great difference in the size of the systems.
COHERENT and X11 from ASC defenitely are much easyer to install,
the Linux people should take a look at a COHERENT and X11 installation,
to learn how a UNIX OS should be installed. I'm not talking about
the wizards and gurus, they for sure get a Linux box running without
to much trouble. I'm talking about the newbies just switching from
DOS to UNIX. For them the first steps in a UNIX environment can be
a fustrating adventure, if they decided to start with Linux.
For the one or other it can be so frustrating, that she/he switches
back to DOS and that for sure isn't in the mind of the whole
UNIX community, independet if one likes to use COHERENT, Linux or
whatever.
>software hard to port much, much easier and more of it
Sorry, but software isn't harder to port to COHERENT then to
SCO, HPUX, AIX, AT&T SV.3, DomainOS. I really know it, because
I ported a lot to COHERENT and I'm using this other UNICES too.
Also I don't think that there is more software for Linux available.
I collected ~70MB compressed tar archives with packages ported to COHERENT,
growing weekly. One really needs a lot of time to try that all.
>toll-free tech support none
>limited internet support look at the volume of c.o.linux!
The volume of a newsgroup doesn't say anything about the quality
of the internet support! There is absolut no limitation asking
something on comp.os.coherent. If you've a question about COHERENT
and an answer exists, you'll get it on c.o.c.
COHERENT comes with a very good documentation (the best one I ever
got from a UNIX vendor so far) and COHERENT users are still able
to do their homework, befor asking the net community. Here I also
know about what I'm talking, I read c.o.l and see all this newbie
questions, which wouldn't be neccessary, if Linux would have
such a good documentation as COHERENT.
>no X (Answer or MWC will cost) Xfree386 1.2 and 1.3 (free), Motif (costs)
no X????? Sure, it costs money, but ASC's version is worth every cent!
>large user base (?) much. much larger
Really? Where do you know?
>$99+update+DDK+X+networking... free (other than media/dist. costs)
>I'm about ready to take the Linux Challenge (TM).
>How about everyone else? Thoughts, comments?
Nope, I'm still a COHERENT user and looking forward to get release 4.1
in my hands.
>Looking for the best home Unix box (TM),
There is no "best home UNIX box". Everyone has to decide which one of
the available UNICES fits the own needs best and how much $$$ one
is willing to spend for.
Please, I don't want to see a heated discussion about the better OS,
both COHERENT and Linux are very interesting UNIX clones.
So send your flames as email to reduce the bandwidth.
Kind regards to ALL UNIX clone users, whatever you're using today.