Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Commodore at FCC
Message-ID: <14647@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 25 Sep 90 20:35:28 GMT
References: <22107@grebyn.com> <14568@cbmvax.commodore.com> <22153@grebyn.com> <14621@cbmvax.commodore.com> <22208@grebyn.com>
Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 42

In article <22208@grebyn.com> ckp@grebyn.UUCP (Checkpoint Technologies) writes:

>Well, I see no motivation for Sun to adopt the "standard" 68K ABI for
>Sys V.4.  

Well, assuming they did update their OS for their 68K machines, there are
several advantages to adopting the standard ABI.  First of all, they could
call it UNIX for the first time.  It would also be a service to all of the
folks using Sun 68K machines.  It's pretty clear that Sun doesn't think too
much of continuing any presence in the 68K market.  So if you're an owner
of a Sun 3, you may not be getting too much support from Sun in the future.
If you can run standard binaries, you can run software for any 68K UNIX
machine.  Which will be an issue with shrinkwrapped binary-only UNIX software.

>In terms of supporting their own user base, they are best served by continuing 
>support of their own ABI, which is after all what all the 68K SunOS programs 
>use.  

That's only true assuming that the current Sun binary form can be made to play
with what SV.4 wants to see.  Not an issue with SPARC, since the SPARC ABI was
done first, but certainly an issue with 68Ks.

>Adopting the "standard" would only serve to brighten the hopes of other 68K 
>makers who hope to run SunOS binaries, like, er, Amiga Unix.

Sun 3s are probably already a minority among 68k boxes that CAN run UNIX.  It
may not be that long before they are a minority among 68k boxes that are
running UNIX, if this hasn't happened already.  If enough unity among the 
various UNIX vendors in the market (which is also Apple, HP/Apollo, Sony,
maybe even Atari someday) exists, anyone who's not compatible may count on
some support from the parent company for access to the new stuff.

>First comes the logo: C H E C K P O I N T  T E C H N O L O G I E S      / /  
>                                                                    \\ / /    
>Then, the disclaimer:  All expressed opinions are, indeed, opinions. \  / o
>Now for the witty part:    I'm pink, therefore, I'm spam!             \/


-- 
Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: hazy     BIX: hazy
	Standing on the shoulders of giants leaves me cold	-REM