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From: ron%brl-vgr@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: PC/IX and other Unix Systems
Message-ID: <16686@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 15-Feb-84 16:04:17 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.16686
Posted: Wed Feb 15 16:04:17 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 20-Feb-84 01:30:11 EST
Lines: 43

From:      Ron Natalie 

Well, you can divide the IBM PC UNIX systems into two classes:

	REAL UNIX systems (i.e. essentially the Bell code and
		the Bell license)
	UNIX-like systems.

Currently there are two REAL UNIX style systems.  The first is
VENIX from VENTURCOM.  It is a real System III ported to the 8088.
Not bad, just blase vanila system III.  The other is the IBM PC/IX.
PC/IX is not available now (April they claim).  The software was not
done by IBM but by Interactive Systems of Santa Monica.  They are
one of the oldest UNIX supporting organizations.  I have mixed feelings
about them.  PC/IX is a basic system V with a lot of the Interactive
Systems enhancements.  Some of these enhancements are nice, some aren't.
On the whole PC/IX looks to be a rather nice, ready to go, unix.
It includes a screen editor (whose name keeps changing) but one name
is INed.  This is a derivative of the RAND editor.

Both VENIX and PC/IX will run about $900.

Popular UNIX like systems include (quickly, see the first issue of UNIX
Review for a comparison):

	Coherent (Mark Williams):  It took me a while to realize (even
	(looking at the source) that this wasn't a ported V7 system.
	$500.   Fairly nice.  No UUCP yet (except that Lauren is doing
	it).

	Xenix:  Based on V7, but enough different to cause most UNIX people
	to pull their hair out.

	Unetix:  Cheap, probably worth the $99 it costs but not outstanding.

Personnally, I was going to go with Coherent being more of a V7 type than
System III/V.  However, due to the more supported nature of PC/IX and due
to the fact that I am very familiar with the way the Interactive Systems
code works (even if I don't always like it) I've settled on PC/IX and now
I'm just waiting.  The functioning UUCP that comes with it is a very big
carrot to dangle in front of me.

-Ron