Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!umd5!mimsy!chris
From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: `RISC-based'
Keywords: VAX MIPS
Message-ID: <12213@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: 29 Jun 88 01:23:52 GMT
References: <6921@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <28200161@urbsdc> <10595@sol.ARPA> <453@m3.mfci.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 26

>In article <12179@mimsy.UUCP> I wrote
(more or less) that Vaxen simply do not win on a price/performance basis:
>>... [the best such] machine is probably `RISC-based'.

In article <453@m3.mfci.UUCP> colwell@mfci.uunet writes:
>But DEC IS in fine shape.

Not with us (but then we never liked IBM either :-) ).

>... people don't always automatically buy the
>machine with the highest performance (nor should they).

True enough, but price/performance is usually a factor; it is only
its importance that varies.  And indeed, we do care about I/O performance
and service and other things here; still, DEC has not done terribly
well there either, in many cases.  (The TU8x is basically ridiculous
as a backup system, and you cannot attach your old TU78s to a BI machine.)

>Also, please cast a jaundiced eye on the phrase "RISC-based".  I
>think it has almost attained the status of "content-free".

That was why I put it in quotes.  `RISC-based' merely means `not
like a Vax'....
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7163)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris