Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!neoucom!wtm
From: wtm@uhura.neoucom.EDU (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Curses, terminfo and termcap followups
Summary: Really about Apple A/UX 2.0
Message-ID: <1990Nov08.040121.16260@uhura.neoucom.EDU>
Date: 8 Nov 90 04:01:21 GMT
References: <35620@cup.portal.com> <1990Nov5.183045.35441@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 50


If A/UX has Ssytem V r3.x stuff in it, it is pretty well hidden.
If one opts for a Sys V file system, one gets the old r2 style.
The default is the BSD fast file system.

I have A/UX 2.0 running on a Mac II cx here.  Pretty neat stuff.
There are still a couple of minor bugs in it, but overall farily
impressive.  What is neat is that floppy disks are automatically
mounted be they A/UX or Mac style.  Another neat aspect is that
most Mac applications can live in the Unix file system.  Used this
way, a lot of the security related problems one faces with
Appleshare may be addressed.  Also neat is that tcp/ip and
appletalk can coexist.  A sl/ip driver is also standard with the
system, but I'm still working on setting up something on the other
end to test that with.  The 2.0 release has also fixed problems
with the compilers; especially f77.

One thing I don't like is that the uucp is the ancient yucky
version 2.0.  No HDB yet.  One hardware aspect I don't like about
Macs is the dang wimpy serial port.  You only get TxD, RxD and two
control lines.  You can't have HFC and modem control at the same
time.  I could almost love my Mac if it had been endowed with at
least one real serial port.  Apple makes a big deal about being the
connectivity people in their A/UX seminars; a real serial port
would bring this to fruition.  They are pushing A/UX for user's
that won't necessarily have appletalk or tcp/ip nearby (like at
home, for instance), so real modem support should be mandatory.

One thing that I can say is that Apple really is serious about
their support of A/UX.  The tech support 800 number has always been
courteous without the usual telephone voice mail tree.  The first
person you get is the person you deal with, and that person is
capable of answering most questions.  Apple has also been good
about returning calls and answering email.  Its nice to see a
company willing to answer its own phone for a change, instead of
pointing a finger at an all too often ill-informed dealer.

According to what I've been told, A/UX 2.0.1 should be out in
approximately January 1991.  That will add support of the various
new machines and fix up a few known problems.  Our Apple office in
Cleveland mentioned that they expect to get an internal beta of
2.0.1 shortly.  Maybe they'll listen to Thad and put infocmp in
the next release; it sure could use it.

==Bill==
-- 
Bill Mayhew      NEOUCOM Computer Services Department
Rootstown, OH  44272-9995  USA    phone: 216-325-2511
wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu   ....!uunet!aablue!neoucom!wtm
via internet: (140.220.001.001)