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From: new@ee.udel.edu (Darren New)
Newsgroups: comp.os.misc
Subject: Re: What constitutes a good OS?
Message-ID: <41679@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 14 Jan 91 21:16:27 GMT
References: <1991Jan14.042520.18150@acc.stolaf.edu> <5233@auspex.auspex.com>
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In article <5233@auspex.auspex.com> guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris) writes:
>(Perhaps this should move to "comp.os.misc".  I've sent followups there;
>if you disagree, remember to send your posting and any followups
>elsewhere.)
>
>>Plan 9 (an experimental system from AT&T) is better, but not worth
>>considering, as it is a research effort at the moment.

From the 15 pages I've read about it, I see Plan-9 doing all the same
things wrong that UNIX did.  They seem to have only files which are
byte arrays, in spite of the fact that 99.44% of programs I've seen
want records, and most want keyed records. UNIX then seems to attempt
to stuff every object that *isn't* a file into this same mode, and
poorly at that. Plan-9 seems to be going the same way.

They have put the windowing stuff neither in the kernel, where you
would expect it to have to work to be commercially viable, or totally
out of the kernel where you can replace it when you need to (unless
there are installable device drivers/servers/whatever).  In addition,
the interface is via bitblt, leading to device dependance and probably
inefficient display over a slower-speed network.

I suspect that the security features of the file systems are just as
bad as on UNIX too; however, I have no evidence to that effect except
that they have kept the rest of the uglynesses too.

I realize this is pretty imflamable.  Content-free flames via email,
please.  Flames that actually make a point can post.  
		Thanks.   -- Darren

-- 
--- Darren New --- Grad Student --- CIS --- Univ. of Delaware ---
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