[SunRescue] Need a system to learn on...

[BSD Bob]

> BSD Bob wrote:
> > In my experiences, I would hesitate to recommend a sun3 unless one were
> 
> I only want a sun3 if it is close enough that I can pick it up (i.e. in
> Wisconsin).  Sun4 is more what I'm looking at getting.  Yes, I do tinker
> (I've fixed a few cd-rom and tape drives).

A sun3 or sun4 both suffer from the same hardware issues.  Probably 
a sun4c or sun4m class machine (IPX or SS1 or something like that)
might be better for your use.

> > Remember, he was wanting a learning machine for his dad.  The sun3 really
> 
> I'm getting it for him to learn to use unix.  I plan to use it to play
> with different OS's, and hopefully to set it up as an internet gateway
> for my LAN.

Realistically, if the machine is up and running, he can use anything
to learn on.  That makes the assumption that the hardware will be
sufficient and reliable enough to use.  If you are willing to tinker
a bit, it sounds like even an old box will do  fine for you.

I still would be hesitant to recommend a sun3 even if it were running
fine, if you were wanting to use anything but SunOS.  NetBSD 1.4 works,
except the tape drivers are seriously broken (or at least none of them
have worked on any of my machines).  A sun4 will run SunOS, NetBSD,
or OpenBSD, but the tape drivers are still problematic.  A sun4c and
on will run any of the OS's quite well, and the tape drivers work, etc.  
Thus, such nuances might dictate what you should look for in a machine.

> -Jonathan

Bob