Em Sat, 12 Jul 2003 21:06:25 +0800, debia escreveu:
> Now, 250 Mhz isn't a lot more than 200 Mhz. Sure its disk is faster, and
> its a more-nicely specced machine, but it still has basically the same
> CPU as is in my six-year-old Powermac. about the same age as my Pentium
> II-233 system.
The CPU is the least relevant part in a server nowadays. This is one of
the reasons why x86 is actually a bad choice for a server: it dedicate
design and operation resources to the wrong part of the system.
> What's special about this IBM kit to justify its price?
Some words: support, reliability, OSs and thoroughput.
The Apples can't run AIX, GNU/Linux is all but unsupported, and
don't have the same bus bandwidth between processor(s), memory and
storage. Apple can't give the same level of support with the same global
reach, both for lack of competence and of structure.
If someone else would produce a system with similar reliability and
thoroughput, running AIX and GNU/Linux and having worldwide
production-level support, then sure IBM would have to lower prices. Given
that that competence and structure isn't born in a day, not likely. But
IBM itself is fostering that with what remained of the POP initiative,
that is to say the Genesi Pegasos and the Eyetech AmigaOne.
--
Leandro Dutra
