*BSD News Article 57909


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From: Lion King (Lion King)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.advocacy
Subject: Re: BSDI Vs. NT... NT looses big
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 07:40:20 GMT
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taxfree@primenet.com (Marshall Field) wrote:

>Hi All,

>I'm no expert, but from my recent experiences with NT and UNIX I have to say 
>that, at this point, NT looses out big. 

>- The MS-TCP/IP stack, still fairly new, evidently has a memory leak that 
>may necessitate REBOOTING your server regularly.

you could also get the fix for it, doncha think?

If you even know about it, chances are it was fixed days/weeks ago.

A memory leak is not much of a problem, once you know it's there.

>- The internet apps available from MS to go with NT (FTP, DNS, SMTP etc.) are 
>generally weak betas, and not up to the level - yet - of their UNIX parents.. 
>if they are available at all.

yeah, but a couple of mouse clicks on an NT box and you have a WWW
server installed that will effortlessly keep up with a similarly
config'ed unix box. 

>- NT is a very large and slow compared to UNIX, the same machine with the same
>memory performs much better  under a UNIX port than under NT.

NT sets up in 90-100 Megs. Unix EASILY needs 5 times that amount for a
similar install. To make it fair, install Visual C++ in another
150Megs. That's 250 Megs, tops. Still 1/2 of the same Unix install.

As for data throughput, NT spanks Unix in heavy server load. Too much
fork()-ing overhead on Unix compared to the silky-smooth
multi-threaded nature of NT Server apps. Long after that BSD box dumps
core and panics, NT will still be running your server with cycles to
spare.

Till unix and unix products are multi-threaded, NT will continue to
smoke them.

BTW, those extra processors on the mainboard can actually be USED to
run code on. One day, you guys will figure that out. You don't have to
ignore them forever!  :D

Hardware speed can be bought with 50% more power costing 50% less
every year (or something like that).

You can't double the reliability/scalability of your NOS every year,
so who cares if your mission-critical servers cost an extra $450 for
16Megs more RAM on NT v. *BSD[I]+

All that supposed "overhead" can be eliminated for $450. Then LOOK AT
HOW MUCH MORE YOU GET!!!!!

>Remember that Microsoft is still scrambling like crazy to get on the Internet 
>bandwagon...
> maybe within a few years NT will unload some of its weight and
>gain more varied and robust internet tools. Until then UNIX wins.

does the phrase "whistling past the graveyard" mean anything to you?

woohoo! NT Rocks.




LK