From: shendrix@PCS.CNU.EDU ("", Shannon Hendrix)
Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent
Subject: Re: Are we dead??
Date: 19 Nov 92 19:42:49 GMT
Reply-To: "Coherent operating system" <COHERENT@indycms.bitnet>

> Linux:  No complaints, but if you lose or don't have FTP access, you're
>         sunk.  You can't exactly FTPMail 8 megs of files (well, you
>         can but....)

	Er, try 23 megs for the SLS set...

>
> BSD386(ftpable version):  Buggy as all hell

	I wonder if BSD will survive, its pretty bad.  Someone told me
that its networking is better than Linux though...

>
> Mach: I'm still trying to compile it ;)

	I wanted to get Mach running but I never could find out how to
get it, let along compile it.  Is it going to be free or what?

>
> Coherent:  This is my workhorse.  I don't have to worry about bugs -- I
>            call tech support.  It is reliable, and I don't have to dig
>            around for everything.  Coherent has its own box and is
>            up 24hrs a day 7 days a week and I have my mail and news
>            going through it.

	It would be my workhorse too but I need X, GCC, and some of the
library calls were missing in Coh 4.0.1 (ticks() for example).  I have
been developing all my schoolwork projects on Linux.  It looks just like
a Sun workstation now (not necessarily a good thing :-) and its served me
quite faithfully.  It has very fast hard drive access and extremely fast
floppy drivers too.
>
> Amoeba:  Haven't gotten it yet, but hopefully will from school soon.  Needs
>          at least 5 386 machines to run it on (it's a distributed system).
>          So, I'll fiddle with it, but I won't have it up and running until
>          the finances come through.

	Are you really going to set that one up?  You will have a heck of
a computer room after that...  I assume you are doing this at school, not
at home...
>
> If you don't care about the internals, want something dependable with
> good support you want Coherent.  There's no argument.  The next step for
> this kind of stuff would be $1500 for like a SCO w/developers platform
> and tons of equipment.
>
> If you want to tinker, I would suggest starting with Minix before you
> tackle Linux or Mach (and Amoeba leave til you're into ulcers like I am).
>
> Linux is also good if you want a GUI.  Personally, I leave my GUI's to
> OS/2 and MS-Windows where they belong.  I like my *nix with a "$".
>
> They are all good for different things.  It depends what you want.
> But, like I said, for the $$'s and the support and for something you
> can depend on with no major bugs (hey, what's an OS w/out bugs?) you
> definitely want coherent.  It's much easier than scrounging around
> the net for patches.  If you want more features and don't mind doing
> legwork and patching yourself, go for linux.  It's also good for tinkering.
> If you want to *learn* get Minix and buy Tanenbaum's book.

	Sorry, but MINIX stinks.  Plus, the book is way behind the OS.
I have heard that the latest OS on a 386 is actually kinda nice.  Sure is
a lot of software out there for it.  But, I hated it.  Coherent and Linux
are the kings IMHO.
>
> So I use all of them with the exception of Linux until I get another machine,
> but for daily use and the one I beat on the most is Coherent.  The others
> I use to learn about OS's.
>
> Disclaimer:  I don't work for anyone (except Loyola University of Chicago
> where I'm a TA) so these are my opinions and i'm not paid for them.  I
> recommended coherent the most since I use it the most as an OS.  The rest
> I use as learning devices.
>
> -Louis
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>  Louis J. Giliberto, Jr.   ! magus@drktowr.chi.il.us
>    -sysadmin drktowr       ! lgilibe@orion.it.luc.edu
>   Chicago, IL  USA         !
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>



=====================================================
Shannon Hendrix                |shendrix@pcs.cnu.edu
Christopher Newport University |---------------------
Newport News, VA               |** space for rent **
=====================================================