From: Ira Ekhaus (ibe1109@draper.com)
Date: 02/09/93 

From: ibe1109@draper.com (Ira Ekhaus)
Subject: Is Linux a viable OS for a stable multiuser unix system, not just a hobbiest's Unix box?
Date: 9 Feb 1993 19:21:58 GMT

Hi,

I'm interested in setting up a Unix box for a few researchers. It
would be doing some fairly light computing (by scientific computing
standards).

I'm trying to determine the tradeoffs between

The lower cost of *86 boxes compared to sparc's.
vs
the delays and distractions that an unstable operating system would
provide.

As the prospective system gets bigger the relative cost of the CPU
becomes less of an issue (peripherals costing the same on both systems
) and I believe the SPARC workstation wins out.

But for a low capital interim solution Linux might work because
        1) the code I'd write would be unix generic
        2) the 486 box is already there and
        3) at the very least the 486 box would make
        a good Xterm (using linux of course).

Has anyone else considered these tradeoffs?

thanks,

Ira
ekhaus@draper.com
Phone: 617 258 1109
Draper Laboratories m.s. 7c
555 Technology Square
Cambridge , MA
02139