If you re-read the post, the SPARC has binary compatibility.
You have to recompile the source for x86. Once it's compiled, as long as you're running "x86", then you should never need to recompile your code.
The binary compatibility is the sparc advantage. I can take a piece of software written for Solaris 2.6 and run it today on Solaris 9 or 10 (I do this actually). That sparc compatiblity is why some people really do still buy Sun SPARC servers.
As far as other items people have mentioned.
Yes, Sparc is slower that x86 in a lot of things, but it still scales upward to 128 CPUs which is a "little" more than x86 does.
SPARC is very good, but it's not for everything, and it's expensive.
If you need LOTS of horsepower on one box, and you need lots of multiple threads, then SPARC beats the pants off of most other architectures (maybe not Power5), but definitely x86 in that arena.
x86 scales "out" with multiple servers in an HPC. While SPARC scales "up" with multiple CPUs in a server... That's the biggest difference.
I have used the Server Admin tools... They're pretty nice and give you a decent representation of what the server is doing.
I wish I had tools like that in solaris, but I don't.
This is one of the things that Apple has done it's due diligence on, and have, in my opinion, created utilities that are just as good, if not better than those on windows server platforms, IE. Compaq and Dell's server utils.
I have DirecTiVo (That would be Tivo built on a DirecTV receiver) and I haven't seen any set tip DVR solution that can compare.
I'm even looking at a MythTV solution for some things that I may want to do around the house as far as streaming media to other Televisions, but for ease of use, pretty pictures, up to date guides, and just all around pleasant experience... I've got to give it to TiVo on this one.
Of all the DVRs around, the TiVo is by far the best you can "buy".
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If you re-read the post, the SPARC has binary compatibility.
You have to recompile the source for x86. Once it's compiled, as long as you're running "x86", then you should never need to recompile your code.
The binary compatibility is the sparc advantage. I can take a piece of software written for Solaris 2.6 and run it today on Solaris 9 or 10 (I do this actually). That sparc compatiblity is why some people really do still buy Sun SPARC servers.
As far as other items people have mentioned.
Yes, Sparc is slower that x86 in a lot of things, but it still scales upward to 128 CPUs which is a "little" more than x86 does.
SPARC is very good, but it's not for everything, and it's expensive.
If you need LOTS of horsepower on one box, and you need lots of multiple threads, then SPARC beats the pants off of most other architectures (maybe not Power5), but definitely x86 in that arena.
x86 scales "out" with multiple servers in an HPC. While SPARC scales "up" with multiple CPUs in a server... That's the biggest difference.
I have used the Server Admin tools... They're pretty nice and give you a decent representation of what the server is doing.
I wish I had tools like that in solaris, but I don't.
This is one of the things that Apple has done it's due diligence on, and have, in my opinion, created utilities that are just as good, if not better than those on windows server platforms, IE. Compaq and Dell's server utils.
I have DirecTiVo (That would be Tivo built on a DirecTV receiver) and I haven't seen any set tip DVR solution that can compare. I'm even looking at a MythTV solution for some things that I may want to do around the house as far as streaming media to other Televisions, but for ease of use, pretty pictures, up to date guides, and just all around pleasant experience... I've got to give it to TiVo on this one. Of all the DVRs around, the TiVo is by far the best you can "buy".