Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 16:05:12 -0800 (PST)
   From: Wolfgang Rupprecht <wolfgang@wsrcc.com>
   Newsgroups: list.port-sparc
   References: <9701211925.AA21482@isolar.Tujunga.CA.US>
   Organization: W S Rupprecht Computer Consulting, Fremont CA
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   Sender: port-sparc-owner@NetBSD.ORG
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   In list.port-sparc you write:
   >(Of course, I'm still grappling with the fact that there's still the reality
   > that the same $3000 could buy me a PentiumPro 200 box with Fast/Wide SCSI
   > and twice the SPECint as the SS5/170  (-: )

   I just got a PPro-150 for netbsd 1.2 .  It certainly runs circles

That's exactly what i'm going to do when i replace my good old ss 1+
clone. BTW: does gcc fully exploit the capabilities of a PPro? What
about floating point? Please respond by email since this question is
off topic.

   around the ss5-85.  What used to be a 1.5hr compile is now done in 25
   minutes.

Even a well tuned pentium 90 under linux or some bsd implementation
beats the ss5-85. And the availaibility of free (or AFFORDABLE
commercial) software for such platform is meanwhile even better than
it is for sparcs.

   The other thing thats really nice is the better framebuffer.  Nice
   16-bit color means never having to worry about two programs lusting
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^
which is available in standard pc graphic cards (s3 trio 64 or so).

   over the same colormap entry.  Even at 40% off, Sun's stuff is way
   overpriced.  Time has marched on, but Sun hasn't kept up.

Not only sun --- look at the pricing of all workstation
manufacturers. But compared to the pricing the "professional" PCs (not
the ones intended for the consumers) of
some famous companies the pricing is not WAY off.

Michael