Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!watdragon!lion!hjespersen
From: hjespersen@lion.uwaterloo.ca (Hans Jespersen)
Subject: Re: SV R3.2.2 vs. R4.0
Message-ID: <1990Oct19.225248.12971@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Owner of Many System Processes)
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <2152@megadon.UUCP> <3162@unisoft.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 90 22:52:48 GMT
Lines: 67

In article <3162@unisoft.UUCP> rembo@unisoft.UUCP (Tony Rems) writes:
 
>No, that's not what it means.  It just means that, while AT&T has
>made it's kernel large and unwieldy, it has attempted to include
>all the features that both BSD and System V users are used to. 

I have heard many people call the SVR4 kernel large but I am
not convinced that it is. Of course if you load all the options
particularly the Berkley Compatibility Package and all the 
networking stuff you are going to have a larger kernel than if
you don't, but it is still close to a comparably equiped Rel. 3
kernel. What I'm trying to say is if you are really concerned
about having  a small kernel, don't load all the packages or
if kernel size is such a big issue for you go back to running
Version 7 or some nice compact proprietary (yuk!) operating
system.

>Notable features are the vfs (virtual file system) which allows
>you to use S5fs, ufs, or bfs yet write your code independently of
>what file system you're using.  It includes system calls like 
>statvfs which return a *generic* superblock so that you don't
>have to dig around on the disk yourself.  Also, you have all
>the BSD and S5 IPC mechanisms, and all the S5 and BSD commands.
>So, no matter what you're used to, most of the features should
>be there. 

Exactly why SRV4 is such a good product for an inductry that
has been asking for a unified Unix operating system for years.
(even if it was as "large and unwiedly" as some people think
it is)

>	 Now, before you start calling AT&T for your copy,
>remember that, to include all this, as you can imagine, you 
>end up with a huge kernel and a huge system.  

But you don't have to include all this if you don't want to.

>                                             Also, AT&T didn't
>include support for multiprocessing.  

Be careful here. AT&T USL (Unix System Labs) has not released
a standard multiprocessing release yet ('91 I think) but
AT&T Data Systems Group has been selling mutiprocessing 3B2's 
for years and has just released a Symetric Multiprocessing '486 system 
running (you guessed it) System V Release 4 (4.0.3 actually).


>                                      So, the deal is, you can
>get most of the things you want, but you'll have to pay for them.

This is a very puzzling statement considering the commercial
nature of the computer industry.
 
>Oh, also, AT&T, in it's effort to contribute to ease of use has
>decided not to include on-line man pages in this release either.

I was under the impression that AT&T will make man pages available
(for SVR4) as an option to those who want it. Anyone know for
sure about this issue?
 
>Ah, the joys of Ma Bell...
>
>-Tony

-- 
Hans Jespersen