Through the years, the capabilities of micro-computers have increased dramatically. Not only in processor speed but also in their abilities to store data. The proposed benchmark would do comparisons among various micros with different processors, clock rates and disk space, and also operating systems such as DOS, OS/2 and MVS. All runs would use the same statistical software, SAS and SPSSx, and the same data base. The benchmark would include a mix of CPU and I/O intensive jobs. The results would hopefully show whether or not current micros can reasonable compete against mainframes not only in elapsed time for the same jobs, but in ease of use. If the micros are competitive, the savings in mainframe costs could be considerable.
