From: elendil@mintir.new-orleans.la.us (Edward J. Branley)
Newsgroups: alt.bbs
Subject: Re: Coherent?
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 10:31:57 CDT
Organization: Minas Tirith BBS (Public Access Usenet for New Orleans)

peter@global.hacktic.nl (Peter Busser) writes:

> rjus@uonline.com (ren_just) writes:
> 
> >And I thought you were hiding out somewhere.  Yes Larry, LINUX and BSD386
> >are freely avaiable.  But some of us like good documentation along with a
> >phone number where we can call for support.
> 
> Is there a reason you can't have good documentation and a phone number with
> Linux and 386BSD? (A major nit pick: BSD/386 and 386BSD are two completely
> different pieces of software. We talk about 386BSD here.)
> 
> >While, in theory LINUX and BSD386 are free, they really aren't.
> 
> Linux is free in the sense of the GNU copyleft. Read the GNU manifesto for mo
> information. I don't know if the GNU copyleft also applies to 386BSD.
> 
> >I don't know about you, but I don't seem to have a lot of free time.
> 
> Ah, real life sometimes comes in the way of hacking.
> 
> >Having to deal with the installation of LINUX and BSD386 along with the
> >problems for them has cost me a lot more than $100 of my time as well as
> >close to that in long distance phone bills trying to find the necessary file
> 
> Which problems? Installing the MCC Interim release is as easy as installing
> MooSe-DOS, if not easier. The most difficult thing is partitioning. One other
> difficult thing is that you must know what size your floppy drive is (3.5" or
> 5.25") so that the kernel knows which root device to use. Everything else is 
> matter of reading the README, starting the install script and answering a few
> simple questions with y or n.
> 
> I don't know how to find the files in the States. Here in Holland there is
> a programmer's network which has a special Linux file area. So most people
> can get it from a local BBS.
> 
> >If they are so good, why don't you sell your UNIX you got from Dell and use
> >these *FREE* operating systems? 
> 
> We were talking about Coherent vs. Linux or 386BSD. Coherent is a Version 7
> kind of operating system. Linux and 386BSD are much more up to date.
> 
> Greetings,
> Peter Busser

Linux is free in the sense that you don't have to pay someone for the 
rights to use it.  Most of us still have to pay to get it, however.  I 
decided to call a couple of BBSs to get the base disks, since I don't 
have direct ftp access.  That cost me an hour of ld phone time.  I've 
gotten the rest of the SLS distribution from tsx-11.mit.edu via DEC's 
ftpmail server.  That means I've added a TON of time to the process just 
decoding the stuff when it comes in.  No, Linux isn't free.  There is 
definitely a case to be made for paying the bucks and getting Coherent.

As to Linux being more up-to-date, agreed, this is true.  However, a lot 
will depend on what a person wants.  If someone wants to get into 
uucp/mail/news, then maybe Coherent is a better idea, since the docs are 
good.  If someone wants X11, well, Coherent isn't going to help them out 
very much just yet.  I think there's a niche for both levels (Coherent 
and Linux/386BSD)


>Edward J. Branley         elendil@mintir.new-orleans.la.us<
>Seashell Software, Metairie, LA            +1-504-455-5087<
Newsgroups: alt.bbs,comp.bbs.misc