Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cbmvax!ditto From: ditto@cbmvax.UUCP (Michael "Ford" Ditto) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Product Marketing Tutorial (was Re: The Amiga is Loosing Ground...) Summary: Foonix Keywords: unix Message-ID: <4521@cbmvax.UUCP> Date: 19 Aug 88 05:10:36 GMT References: <2167@ssc-vax.UUCP> <64636@sun.uucp> Reply-To: ditto@cbmvax.UUCP (Michael "Ford" Ditto) Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA Lines: 50 Disclaimer: This message contains personal opinions and not much else. In article <64636@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes: >> 6) Where IS Un*x for the Amiga? >In a trashbin somewhere? :-) If you want UNIX why not buy a Sun? Even with >an Amiga 3000 there is no way Commodore can make a better UNIX system than >the Sun 3/60. Depends on what you mean by "better". How about faster, cheaper, and compatible with Amiga software? There's also the European market which, for whatever reason, likes System V. If you took generic System V and put it on an Amiga with no windows, no mouse, no nothin', you could sell it in Euroupe. > You're looking at $10K either way. And the Sun comes with >ethernet. I'm pretty sure an Amiga with Unix and ethernet won't cost $10K. If it turns out to cost that much, you're certainly right about it not being an alternative to Sun. > If you want UNIX cheap why not buy a UNIX-PC from AT&T? I have a UNIX-PC that I bought with money I had saved up to buy an Amiga 2000. I like it very much, but I'm sure the Amiga will be so much more valuable (in terms of performance, expandability, features, support, etc.) that I'll end up upgrading. There is a market for cheap unix, but not THAT cheap (when you buy a Unix machine for $1500 you suffer in ways other than original price). > Do you have any idea how many people it takes to port, customize, >and maintain a UNIX port to internal hardware? I don't think the hardware aspects of the port are what needs to be worried about; Unix is pretty portable these days in those respects. What will take a lot of work is getting Unix into a form that lives up to the existing Amiga software -- things like user interface, windowing systems, and support for third party hardware and software. It's these things that will (or won't) make the Amiga something other than "just another Un*x box". Another Disclaimer: I am working for Commodore, but the above ravings are entirely my own invention and may or may not bear any relation to any official policy of Commodore. -- -=] Ford [=- . . (In Real Life: Mike Ditto) . : , ford@kenobi.cts.com This space under construction, ...!ucsd!elgar!ford pardon our dust. ditto@cbmvax.commodore.com