From: rsnyder@LOBBY.TI.COM ((R. Snyder))
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.sas-l
Subject: Re: SAS on UNIX or SAS on PC
Date: 5 Oct 92 16:23:54 GMT
Reply-To: "(R. Snyder)" <rsnyder@LOBBY.TI.COM>
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Comments: To: Thomas_M_Skinner@CCM.HF.INTEL.COM
Comments: cc: sas-l@uga.cc.uga.edu
              92 12:47 pm

SUBJECT:   PC vs UNIX
SUMMARY:   Some Comments
REL/PLTF:  6.07/HP300
E-ADDR:    rsnyder@lobby.ti.com
NAME:      Bob Snyder
COMPANY:   Texas Instruments, Sherman, TX
PHONE:     (903) 868-5799
FAX:       (903) 868-7240
>
>           Dear SAS-Ler's,
>
>           And Individually:
>
>           Andee, who requested this info to begin with:
>
>           If I were you, I would go with the IBM RS6000 AIX (Unix)
>           platform at this point in time, given the choice of hardware
>           available to you (already purchased and paid for).  SI has
>           supported this platform with timely releases for some time
>           now. They also have repeatedly used this platform for
>           demonstrations of new products such as SAS/INSIGHT, SAS/EIS,
>           and SAS/GIS at SUGI conferences over the past few years.  It
>           is fast, and relatively reliable.  I base my evaluation of
>           your situation partly on the assumption that you probably do
>           not have OS/2 on your PC, and do not have as an option the
>           expenditure of sigificant Kbucks to upgrade your PC to  run
>           OS/2 or Windows for that matter.
>
>           To Jim Stukas @Notre Dame:
>
>           I think the argument of DOS based windows versus OS/2 is
>           inappropriate in this discussion list in regards to this
>           particular inquiry.  Position papers from SI have come out
>           favoring one or the other from time to time, and while the
>           operating systems themselves are not "proven" especially
>           when discussing the advanced and as of yet non-production
>           "vapor" versions,  the real issue is how good the SAS
>           product is as currently licensed.  This issue will resolve
>           itself as SI seeks to make 6.08 production on all platforms
>           simultaneously.  As far as NEXTSTEP/486 is concerned, I
>           believe SI has an interest in developing a product for this
>           OS, however the info I got at SUGI was that they would not
>           release this version until there was a proven demand based
>           on installed copies.  I personally am impressed with the
>           NEXTSTEP OS, and have seen SAS run on the NEXT platform,
>           however it was the last of a series of UNIX based
>           workstations on which SAS was released, so I wouldn't expect
>           the NEXTSTEP/486 version to be forthcoming anytime soon.
>           The NEXT station was also conspicuously missing at SUGI this
>           year.
>
>           This is apparently a "marketing" decision by SI, based on
>           projected revenues etc.  I think you missed the point that
>           Bert Cave was trying to make concerning the windows version
>           of SAS, that being a major cooperative effort under way to
>           develop a Client/Server compatible version of SAS,
>           specifically designed around Microsoft/Sybase products based
>           on intel architecture.  While this is, in it's most basic
>           form, just another SAS/ACCESS product, it is a significant
>           new path for information delivery systems.  By the way, the
>           porting of various operating systems such as NEXTSTEP to
>           intel architecture is a result of significant efforts of
>           intel marketing folks, the result of which shall be the
>           freedom to choose whichever suits you without the
>           consideration of major additional hardware investments.
>
>
>           Thanks for your input!  And Andee, give my regards to J.K.
>           Please don't hesitate to contact me directly, (another
>           alumnus of UGA where my SAS experience also began.).
>
>           intel-insider,
>
>           T.M. Skinner
>           Sr. SAS Tech. Support
>           Intel corporation
>           ============================================================
>           Internet: Thomas_M_Skinner@CCM.HF.INTEL.COM
>               Mail: 1900 Prairie City Road MS FM1-102
>                     Folsom, CA 95630
>           ============================================================
>
I agree that the answere to Andee's question is not rooted in the OS/2
vs. Windows debate. I run SAS on an HP_UX (UNIX) platform and find its
performance to be superior to 6.04 on a 33 MHz 486 (EISA). I attribute this
to the power of the platform, not the SAS version. My reccomendation would
have to be that you can't go wrong on an existing UNIX box.

Sally Muller just commented that many folks are quite happy with 6.04 on the
PC. It's good software, but my gripe is that it's not being kept up to date.
A few things like CONNECT, ACCESS and VGA support would be nice. Don't hold
your breaths. SI is putting that stuff in the Windows version and charging
for it.

Oh well, my $0.02.

Regards,
Bob