From: patten@lumchan.ifa.hawaii.edu (Brian Michael Patten)
Subject: Re: Solaris 2.0 to support Sun 386i???
Organization: Institute for Astronomy, Univ. of Hawaii
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 00:19:57 GMT

In article <wargopl.717706155@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>, wargopl@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Peter L. Wargo) writes:
|> Bob.Smith@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Bob Smith) writes:
|> 
|> >Hello,
|> 
|> >I've a coupla questions about the 386i as I'm in need of a PC box to
|> >run Unix (to port sparc-based Sun Fortran & C software to) and I don't
|> >wanna take a chance on PC clones and after maket Unixes.
|> 
|> >First, does Sun intend to specifically (or perhaps generically) support
|> >the 386i?
|> 
|> Fat Chance.  Sun gave up on the 386i a while back.  I think 4.0.3 was
|> the last OS revision offered for it.

wrong, 4.0.2

|> 
|> >Next, what are the latest versions of the Sun compilers to run on the
|> >386i?
|> 
|> You could compile gcc to run on it.... :-)
|> (Beats what came with 4.0.3...)
|> 

anything beats the native C compiler on any Sun.  SunC 1.0 (which supports
the 386i) is quite nice and gcc builds without problems.  Both SunC 1.0 and 
the latest gcc give similar performance.  I also have SunFortran 1.3.1.

|> >Finally, could anyone offer their experiences with the 386i, especially
|> >in regard to software robustness and to/from disk transfer rates?  
|> >Experiences with hardware epansion ease/problems would also be welcomed.
|> 
|> Well, a freind of mine (who works for a major workstation software
|> company rhyming with grief) called it  [the Sun 386i] "The worst
|> bastardization to come out of Sun..."
|> 

Okay, that's one person's opinion.  I happen to like my 386i.  Your opinion
might carry more weight Peter if you actually spoke from experience rather
than quoting the opinion of someone else.

|> >I realize I'm stretching it here, as the 386i has fallen from favor, but
|> >I can hardly resist some of the used prices that I've seen recently.
|> 
|> Save yourself, Bob.  If you want a decent platform to play with, get a
|> Sun3. They can usually be found cheaply (especially the 3/50, and 3/60),
|> they run SunOS 4.1.1, and there are even commercial applications still
|> avaialble for them.  I run a 12M 3/50, with 400 or some-odd megs of
|> disk, and I have X11R5, and a bunch of other goodiies running on it.
|> 
|> (Even a PC emulator!)
|> 
|> "These opinions are mine, of course..."

My 386i has 16Mb of RAM and 500Mb of disk.  I run SunOS 4.0.2 and my machine
is extremely stable.  I too have X11R5 and many other goodies.  A 386i also 
blow away a 3/60, so "Nyah-nyah-nya-nyah-nyah".


So Peter, did you post this followup just to bash the Sun 386i, or what?
I think Bob was looking for real information.

Bob, if you'd like my experiences with the 386i, please feel free to 
e-mail me.  I bought my machine because I got a good deal on it and
it was what I could afford.  I could have bought a 3/60 for about the
same price, but I decided to go for the machine that had a little
more horsepower.  I haven't been disappointed.  It has a few oddities about
it that might turn you off, but they haven't kept me from running
all the software I need.  It's an orphan, yes.  But so's the 3/60. ;-)

If you are trying to port C and Fortran software to 386 unix boxes though,
you'd probably be better off getting a real 386 box.  If you want to keep
up with the latest OS running on Sun boxes, then you are definitely better 
off sticking with a real 386 box.  


|> 
|> --
|> Peter L. Wargo        | wargopl@sun.soe.clarkson.edu | "In other words...
|> Documentation         |                              |  R.T.F.M..."
|> Enable Software, Inc. | GEnie mail: PSYCLOPS         |


Brian M. Patten
Institute for Astronomy
University of Hawaii
patten@lumchan.ifa.hawaii.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware