Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 05:04:09 +0000 From: Johannes H Andersen <johsnopsamsafish.com> Subject: Re: Saabs vs. compuers
devil wrote: > > Johannes H Andersen wrote: > > > > Dave Hinz wrote: > > > > > > Johannes H Andersen (johannes.andersennopsamel.ac.uk) wrote: > > > > > > > > > : Nahh. Windows NT is stable. Have you tried it? > > > > > > Yes, I have, since NT 3.51 or so. It's *better* than it was, but > > > for a server-class machine, it just doesn't have what it takes to do > > > serious work. > > > > > > > Well, I think I'm doing serious work, at least this is what my employer thinks > > since he is paying me. > > Question is not whether *you* are doing serious work, it's whether the > computer is. > > But i does appear the thing needs *you* to do serious work to go > anywhere in any event. :-) > > > > > I used to use DEC VMS, a bulletproof system of high quality and proper network > > clustering, but you had to pay 10 times the price. People wants Windows systems > > anyway, partly because they don't want to be locked in to obsolete systems > > and hardware after a couple of years; if replacements becomes necessary, it won't > > cost an arm and a leg. > > Alhough it does cost an arm and a leg to clean up after the fact, to run > securely an inherently insecure toy etc.. > You have to keep up with modern times. True, the PC can be traced back to the so called "home" computers of the early eighties; a disgusting association. But now the platform can now do virtually anything. If you are concerned about critical and secure operations, you obviously can install RAID redundancy and use UNIX as a backbone; nothing wrong with a multi-tiered setup. The modern GHz PC has tremendous performance for engineering calculations, something which is hard to get used to considering the "home" or "toy" computer tag. Clearly, we take the easy route rather than buying $mill supercomputers, which would have been necessary ten years ago or so. > OK, OK that's why you got your job, I suppose :-). No, the PC largely looks after itself, I get on with my work. Johannes