[NTLUG:Discuss] Mac v. Linux

[jpmiller@quorumhost.com]

Quoting Chris Cox <cjcox at acm.org>:

> jpmiller at quorumhost.com wrote:
> > yeah... long post. =]
> >
> > While I will accept everything you have said, I just do not think it
> matters for
> > sun.  It's still too little to late:
> >
> > - High powered workstations... yeah, it's a great box, but who's buying
> them in
> > volume?  The last 3 places I've worked $2000 was better than twice the
> budget
> > for desktop computers.
>
> Aack!... So you are saying that the desktop market is what keeps
> computer companies alive?????!!!!   Sorry.. don't agree with that

no, but desktop OS is the topic of discussion. (and you did bring them up)

> at all.  I gave the workstation example, because I need a workstation.
> Their server machines are equally as agressively priced.
>
> >
> > - sparc development... on the low end, they seem to be priced at about
> twice
> > what a comparible intel based box would be.  High end Intel doesn't really
> have
>
> SPARC does carry a premium, so you REALLY need to compare Intel/AMD
> (Dell/HP/Other) boxes with Sun's AMD line... not their SPARC line.
> Our price on a Sun V880 (a bit dated, now the V890) is about $20K.  That

I bet sun would rather you didn't quote your discount rates on their hardware...
=]

> gets you two processors (holds 8) and 6 73G SCSI drives (holds 12) and
> you get fiber ethernet as well.  Granted that's pretty expensive.
> How much does your 8-way Intel box cost?  Certainly more of course.

retail on the v880, 8 processor version is $85K, $35K for 2 procs
HPs intel offering are comparabily priced.

> I realize that your point is that NOBODY buys an 8-way box, you'll

We bought 8-ways by the hundereds (buying lots on about 2000 servers of various
configs twice a year), but at our discounted rates, intel was considerably more
affordable.

What I'm saying is this : 1> I don't know anyone who uses Solaris as their
desktop OS of choice (not that their isn't any such beast). 2> I'm not ready to
run out and by Sun stock. (and yeah I love Solaris (I'm certified admin) I just
don't see it as a dominate force anymore.)
As for binding Solaris to Sun, I don't do that today... Solaris is bound to
Fujitsu: I still think they are footing a large chunk of the R&D bill which Sun
cannot afford anymore.

> just have to trust me that people do buy these things.  In fact my
> company owns 2 E15K's.  I think they hold 108 processors each.

Nobody puts 108 procs in an E15K, if you go above 72, you lose your I/O
capacity... in fact sun dropped that in the E20K & E25K

Large, partitionable frames have their place but it isn't what it once was.

J



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