Xref: utzoo comp.std.misc:112 comp.realtime:76 comp.arch:10280 comp.os.misc:924 comp.misc:6341
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.std.misc,comp.realtime,comp.arch,comp.os.misc,comp.misc
Subject: Re: TRON (a little long)
Keywords: Japan, TRON, standards, networks, operating systems
Message-ID: <4567@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 15 Jun 89 14:17:27 GMT
References: <382@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu>
Organization: Xenix Support
Lines: 49

In article <382@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu>, jdm@a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu (James D Mooney) writes:
> *WHY DOESN'T ANYONE SEEM TO CARE?*

> I do have some theories.  Which one do you think is right?

> 1. It's a Japanese project, not relevant outside Japan.

I think that's a relevant factor, but it's not the whole story by any means.

Japan Incs "we will bury you" attitude with the 5th generation project really
doesn't help any, either.

> 2. It's not needed; there are enough standards.

That depends on the area. I think people in the US *are* getting tired of
standards... there are so many of them. Maybe there's a bit of baby-and-
bathwater stuff going on here. But just a bit.

> 3.  Only single-company de facto standards (like IBM) are practical.
>     Companies won't cooperate.

This is a good point. Not only don't companies tend to co-operate, but
in the US there are laws that restrict companies from co-operating.

> 4.  It's interesting, but will have no effect on me.

this is basically a corrolary to #1 and #2.

> 5. There's plenty of discussion of TRON outside Japan; you just have
>    missed it all.

:->

> 6. Other?

For me, here's the main reason: it completely ignores the standards work that
*has* been going on in the US. Basically, no part of TRON is based in any way
on the UNIX system call interface. What I've heard of it bears a strong
resemblance to the messed-up massive-shared-library interfaces common to
both '60s operating systems and (more recently) things like OS/2 and X. And,
at least in the US, it doesn't have either a 500-pound-gorilla (IBM) or the
virtue of public domain status (thanks to the X consortium) behind it.

Speaking of design-by-comittee: what's the status of ADA in Japan?
-- 
Peter da Silva, Xenix Support, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.

Business: uunet.uu.net!ficc!peter, peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180.
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