Re: Buy NT or Unix?

In article <3s8fob$hag@mogan.cc.metu.edu.tr>, e063266@narwhal.cc.metu.edu.tr wrote: > >Hi Informix Experts, >We are about to contruct a WAN for an automation project. >We have bought the new version of Informix Application Development >set (the one with New Era). We will have a dtributed database. >All the data at the nodes will be replicated at the center. >Our problem is:What will be the O.S. for the end points?(Windows NT >or Unix?). If it will be Unix,then we will have to buy extra PC's >for the endpoints because New Era runs on windows. This brings >extra cost although there will be only one user at the nodes. >We thought to run informix on X windows but informix does not >support all X platforms (we heard so but we are not sure). >If we will buy NT, we heard that informix does not support >replication on NT yet.(Also we heard so). We are not sure >about NT's WAN experience. Also we will need sometimes >remote unix-like remote login. >Please make suggestions about our problem. Thanks alot. > e063266@narwhal.cc.metu.edu.tr Go with UNIX for your production system. After having used NT for a while now, this is what I've found: 1. Use NT as a client and hold off till the latest release before using as a production system. It's getting better but it just ain't there yet. 2. Win NT is a great product. But it still lacks out-of-the-box stuff you will get with UNIX that you will soon be looking for if you're putting together a >business< system with INFORMIX. INFORMIX will run great in UNIX, but you won't know about NT without a lot of experimentation, and it will probably have to be SE, and as far as SE, I don't think the NT version is out, so you'll be 16-bit on INFORMIX, which would be a waste. Go UNIX. I have MKS Tool Kit and a couple of other GNU tools but it's a hodge-podge to get something close to a UNIX out of NT. You'll just create more problems for yourself right now. And memory requirements are through the roof, as the swap set-up is fixed--yes it swaps like a mo fo. Be prepared to second mortgage your house to get enough memory, and get a multi-CPU Pentium while you're at it. After you get NT up and running, take it off the system, and put UNIX on it, and you'll think you've got a CRAY. I like NT a lot. It's better than the old windows, but it's not a UNIX just yet. 3. Windows For Workgroups and Win 95 are getting good reviews hooking up to the network. Assess your interface needs, but go ahead and buy the 4GL so you won't get fired wasting a lot of time on a C/S app till you can really understand all the issues. And tell INFORMIX to cut you some slack on the NewEra so you can get C/S going. In the mean time use an X/Windows Windows product and write 4GL. :-) -- \\\\|// (O|O) ==============================---o00--(_)--00o---============================ Tim Schaefer tschaefe@gate.net http://www.gate.net/~tschaefe The Computer Business Company, Inc. INXUTIL 2.0 is now absolutely FREE --------------------------And now another Gump moment------------------------ RUN you stupid sonofabich RUN! --The Coach =============================================================================