From: paul@pubnet.com (Paul Telles)
Subject: Re: Which commercial UNIX to choose for my PC ?
Organization: PUBNET Communications Services
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 20:17:57 GMT
Followup-To: comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit
Summary: Solaris 2.0 is the only answer.

In article <1992Sep24.041318.27738@news.columbia.edu> cl45@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Ching-Tse Liu) writes:
>Hi,
>        I have a SUN 4 (sparc) at work. I would like to set
>up an Intel 486 running Unix at home. Which vendor's Unix
>should I choose from so the maximum compatibility is insured
>between the Sun and the home Unix in terms of development
>effors (i.e. compiling the same source code on both platforms
>and then expecting them to work the same way.)
>
>Any suggestion will be appreciated. Thanks !

Considering the above requirements, the only choice would be the upcoming
Solaris 2.0 from SunSoft.  Here is a brief Q&A sheet on Solaris 2.0...

Q: What are SunSoft plans regarding the Intel Architecture?
A:  SunSoft is releasing a version of Solaris 2.0 on the Intel
(386/486) architecture.

Q: Will this product be different from Solaris 2.0 on SPARC?
A: Solaris 2.0 on Intel will be the same product: bug for bug, common
source tree.  Only the machine dependent layers will be changed.

Q: What is Solaris 2.0?
A: See separate literature on Solaris 2.0.

Q: What machines will this product run on?
A: Solaris 2.0 on Intel will require:
	386 or 486 CPU.
	ISA, EISA or Microchannel Bus.
	Hardware floating point support.
	8 Mbyte memory min.
	1024 x 768 display.
	Standard PC ROM Bios.
	200 Mbyte ESDI or SCSI hard disk.
	CD ROM Drive.

Q: Isn't this size machine a small part of today's installed base?
A:  Yes, it is today.  However, as hardware prices come down
rapidly over the next few years, we feel Solaris 2.0 on Intel
will be uniquely positioned as the leading 32 bit multitasking
operating system that is capable of taking advantage of this
hardware.

Q: When will this product be available?
A:  Developers release mid 92, end user release end of 1992.

Q: How compatible will Solaris on Intel be with the SPARC version?
A: Applications can be moved between architectures with a simple
recompilation. Both version will have a common Application
Programming Interface (API).

Q: What application binary (ABI) standards will this product meet?
A: Solaris 2.0 on Intel will Intel iABI compliant.  It will also
execute standard V.3.2/386 binaries.

Q: Will this product have DOS emulation capability?
A: Yes, we will provide a DOS emulation capability. (VP/ix II)

Q: What about compilers?
A: There will be a full complement of compilers available for
Solaris on Intel.  Contact SunPro for more details.

Q: I am an application developer and I am interested in starting
to port my applications to the Intel product.  What should I do
now?
A: Because both the Intel and SPARC product are source compatible,
we recommend porting to SPARC today. When the Intel product
is available next year, a simple recompile will enable you to
move to Intel.

Q: How much will this cost?
A: No prices have been announced at this time.

Q: Who will develop this?
A: SunSoft will develop this product.

Q: How many peripheral devices and configurations will supported?
A: We will work with leading OEMs and VARs who distribute this
product to ensure that their configurations are supported.
-- 
Paul Telles, PUBNET, Honolulu, HI - paul@pubnet.com - 0004002682@mcimail.com
"UNIX is a simple, coherent system that pushes a few good ideas and models to
the limit." D. Ritchie, Communications of the ACM, Vol. 27, No. 8, August 1984