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From: burd@hydra.unm.edu (Stephen Burd ASM)
Newsgroups: comp.infosystems
Subject: Re: UNIX applications in Information Systems.
Message-ID: <1990Sep28.171417.29070@ariel.unm.edu>
Date: 28 Sep 90 17:14:17 GMT
References: <1990Sep28.020409.16535@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
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Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
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In article <1990Sep28.020409.16535@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> bm8v@newton.acc.Virginia.EDU (Buddhadeb Mukherjee) writes:

>   I have heard, in more than one occasion, that UNIX operating system is being used more and 
> more every day in the developing Management Information Systems.  I would 
> appreciate if someone could shed some more light on this matter.  What I would like to know is how much of this "rumor" is really true?

It is true to a limited extent, but not in large data crunching applications
such as credit card processing and other large scale transaction processing
applications (and the MISs driven off of those databases).  UNIX has made 
some inroads in applications requiring smaller hardware bases, primarily 
because of its wide availability for this class of hardware.  

Another factor is the extent to which networking support has become part 
of the UNIX operating system.  As more and more information processing is 
decentralized and distributed, the advantages of UNIX over traditional IBM
networking approaches become more pronounced.  For distributed applications
requiring the integration of a wide variety of hardware and software, UNIX
has a clear advantage.  This advantage is being challenged, however, by
DEC (e.g., DECnet and VAX clustering) as well as IBM (e.g., token ring
networks for PC and workstation connection to larger machines).

The primary advantage of UNIX in any software development effort lies
in its inherent flexibility for integrating various pieces of software.
As an example, a decision support system developed here under UNIX
utilized C-Prolog, C programs, FORTRAN programs, the S statistical
analysis package, and INGRES for various portions of the system.  Neither
VMS nor any IBM operating system would have been capable of tying all
of this software together to form an integrated on-line system.

Offsetting this advantage is the lack of traditional MIS development
tools in the UNIX environment (e.g., good COBOL compliers, large
scale DBMSs, etc.) as well as the firmly entrenched utilization of
IBM software and hardware for MIS.  All of this is in flux, however.
IBM has embraced UNIX to some extent (e.g., AIX on the AS hardware
series and on the 3090) and more and more MIS oriented software is
becoming available under UNIX (e.g., INFORMIX, FOCUS, etc.).

It's not possible to say what will predominate in the future of MIS
development.  Probably an evolutionary extension of one approach that
incorporates some of the best of the others, but my crystal ball
is as cloudy as everyone else's.

--
FROM:      Stephen D. Burd			AT&T:      (505)-277-6418
USNAIL:    Anderson School of Management
           University of New Mexico		INTERNET:  burd@hydra.unm.edu
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