Can AIX be productively used as a development workstation ?

Also: why would one use AIX instead of .. say .. Linux .. or *BSD .. or Solaris !?

please try to use informative thread titles... a thread called "aix" in the "aix" forum is hardly an effective way to get information.

Youp .. I suppose you're right .. but eh .. there's no changing it now is there ?

Can u plz xplain the term

"development workstation"

AIX is another OS like linux/Solaris.

Once u r familiar with it , it is good 4 u.

Sure you can use AIX as a desktop OS. It comes with a X windowed environment and some desktop tools. Other available tools like the Visual Age compilers, IDE and with the world of Java, most any windowed program can be run on it. However, using AIX as a desktop is just not cost effective. A. the hardware needed to run AIX is not cheap. B. the OS, compilers, IBM tools are not cheap either.

Why would one choose AIX over Linux, Solaris or BSD. Simply put, for a desktop, you don't. For server work, datbase server, dedicated app server it's a fine platform backed with great hardware and software support.

I guess once you are familiar with AIX, it is an OS in which you can work effectively; however, I find that the X-window environment is not as well-developed as say, Ubuntu (with Gnome, of course *grins*). AIX is unix, linux is unix-like, there are definitely differences.

IBM has done a great job of providing pre-packaged RPMs that you can download from their website, so you can extend AIX' functionality. I'm used to linux, so finding that functionality has been problematic... for example, for AIX 5.2, sudo is not installed; as a matter of SOP, I use sudo for everything that requires root on my linux workstation; however, I had to get the RPM from IBM and install it... the problem being, it doesn't work properly; it's functional, don't get me wrong, but it is buggy.

Buying new hardware for AIX can be expensive, but, a quick search on e-bay will get you a great server box already running AIX (with all applicable licenses), for around $500-1,000 US. So, I don't think cost will be a factor.

I do think that AIX is a much better server than a desktop. Just my 2cp =).

EDIT: Changed a spelling error: 'or' to 'of'