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From: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Re: Why use U* over VMS
Message-ID: <=WT6M66@xds13.ferranti.com>
Date: 1 Nov 90 22:02:40 GMT
References: <ANDYO.90Oct23101417@glasperl.masscomp> <1990Oct25.160937.28144@edm.uucp> <1809.272c3135@dcs.simpact.com> <8355@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> <1817.272ec907@dcs.simpact.com>
Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva)
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 12

Yes, the classic UNIX kernel model is rather freaky. It does have the
virtue of being simple to implement, but it's not a very friendly place
for deiver writing.

*BUT*

UNIX is not defined by the UNIX kernel model. It is defined by the user
and programmer interfaces (the UNIX programmer's manual, SVID, POSIX,
what have you). You can have whatever kernel you want and if I can compile
"make" and it runs it's UNIX. And that's the most important advantage UNIX
has over other operating systems. It's not the portability that's important
so much as the relatively high level of the programmer interface.
-- 
Peter da Silva.   `-_-'
+1 713 274 5180.   'U`
peter@ferranti.com