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From: james@bigtex.uucp (James Van Artsdalen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Mainframes vs micros
Message-ID: <190@bigtex.uucp>
Date: Fri, 2-Jan-87 05:18:53 EST
Article-I.D.: bigtex.190
Posted: Fri Jan  2 05:18:53 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Jan-87 20:37:06 EST
References: <653@imsvax.UUCP> <1397@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <10781@lanl.ARPA> <667@argus.UUCP>
Sender: news@bigtex.uucp
Reply-To: james@bigtex.UUCP (James Van Artsdalen)
Organization: F.B.N. Software, Austin TX
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In article <10781@lanl.ARPA>, sam@lanl.ARPA (Sam A Matthews) writes:
> I would like to see someone try to get 1000+ users to access one database
> using a PC network or manage a multi-gigabyte database, or 2 or 3.  
> Come on... It will not happen in our lifetimes. 

Actually, a company called Products Diversified in Houston TX has been selling
68000-based micros for a while that can handle 8 gigabyte databases pretty
well.  Lew Williams founded the company many years back as a result of problems
he had when he was in the land-title business: people couldn't sell him
reasonably priced hardware for large database applications.  It's been two or
three years since I talked to Lew, and in any case his son-in-law manages the
company, but the point is that they have been doing multi-gigabyte databases
on 68000s, not even 68020s, for years (used a variant on the LSI-11 before
the 68000).  I believe they use a specialized black box that does the real
work, and that the box costs in the neighborhood of $50,000 to $100,000.  The
thing has been networked a fair amount, but to get more info call PDI and ask
about it.  1000 users maybe not, but an 8 gigabyte database on a micro is old
news, not "will not happen".
-- 
James R. Van Artsdalen   ...!ut-sally!utastro!bigtex!james   "Live Free or Die"
Voice: (512)-323-2675  Modem: (512)-323-2773  5300B McCandless, Austin TX 78756