From: keith@ksmith.uucp (Keith Smith)
Subject: Multi-User vs Network (was: Re: IBM AS/400 ...)
Organization: Keith's Computer, Hope Mills, NC
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 03:27:14 GMT
Followup-To: comp.misc

In article <1992Dec26.003022.25532@bilver.uucp> wbeebe@bilver.uucp (Bill Beebe) writes:
>In article <id.HD1W.X03@ferranti.com> peter@ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes:
>
>>I'd hope it'd run pretty damn well, since we've had up to 10 users on a 286
>>doing software development... which is about 30 times slower than the 486,
>>with more demanding users.
>>
>>Now I won't say I was happy with the performance on the 286, but the current
>>systems with moderately old 386es are adequate, and our 486 box screams.
>
>Maybe I *really* am dumber than a box of dirt, but why, in this day of
>networking, would anyone do team development on a single box when it would
>appear that team development on networked single-user boxes would be a lot
>more efficient? Why do we still need multi-user boxes except to support
>obsolete business practices?

What is obsolete about 32 people using dumb text terminals to query a
customer database?  What's obsolete about saving a small fortune doing
it?  Why network my office staff when the additional expense of
equipment, and training will net $0 into the corporate coffers?  What
will networking get me that I cannot get with a Multi-User box
(*BESIDES* the headaches with printing under NOVELL :) :) :) ).  Why
*NOT* do team development on a single CPU if it is quite capable of
handling it?  Why not go into my office, turn on my terminal & seconds
later answer the login and go to work rather than wait for a PC to boot?
Why not network the Multi-User box to another Multi-user box and share
multiple resources on both.

I've got a NOVELL site where the users all want to share a single modem
(and phone line) for several different simple dedicated PC-DOS style
comm packages.  Under novell, I can get a bunch of redirector cards for
all the PeeCees.  Under Unix I do the same thing with Unlimited user
VP/ix on wy-150 terminals.  Net savings:  Big bucks.  Net hassle:  MUCH
less.  Administration.  Gimme a Multi-User setup.  Mail for NOVELL. 
Costs extra.  In fact all that DOS crap costs extra.

And the APP for the NOVELL...  Why it *REQUIRES* a VGA adaptor & 538K of
available RAM,  So forget the hot-key to mail.  Oh,  And those
highlighted and colored *TEXT* windows, menu's and screens really take
FULL advantage of the VGA adaptors and screens.  *YEP*,  true strides in
productivity because of all that expensive *REQUIRED* hardware, And
application shuffling.  RIGHT.

Meanwhile the wy150 folks can hotkey between 3 different sessions using
mscreen (built in to SCO) and All the apps will let you shell up
indefinately, If you can't hotkey straight over to where you wish to be. 
Oh, and the 20 DOS boxes and 5 other SCO boxes in the remote offices
around NC and VA, could easily call in/out on a regular basis into the
NOVELL network on the 7 HS modems I have attached without spending a
small fortune on a modem server.  Sure.

So network a bunch of unix work$tation$?

Assuming the 486DX2/66 will handle it, What are my advantages in
networking?
-- 
Keith Smith          uunet!ksmith!keith            5719 Archer Rd.
Digital Designs      BBS 1-919-423-4216            Hope Mills, NC 28348-2201
Somewhere in the Styx of North Carolina ...