Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken!taco!hobbes!kdarling From: kdarling@hobbes.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: Amiga OS *IS* state of the art Message-ID: <1991Apr2.172222.27446@ncsu.edu> Date: 2 Apr 91 17:22:22 GMT References: <7827@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <1991Mar27.062345.6622@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au> <7840@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <1991Apr2.030653.10978@NCoast.ORG> Sender: news@ncsu.edu (USENET News System) Organization: North Carolina State University Lines: 37 In <1991Apr2.030653.10978@NCoast.ORG> davewt@NCoast.ORG (David Wright) writes: > Until there is one that does these things, *AND* does everything else > the Amiga OS does just as well as the Amiga (shared libraries, unlimited > RAM, dynamic device drivers, etc.), you can't compare it. > [...] > In fact, OS/9 had almost as much as the Amiga did, for it's day, > and it DID have real multi-user abilities. As did MP/M. ... and as did CROMIX (1980-ish), Oasys (1982-ish), and several others. Come to think of it, it very well could be that the Amiga OS was the first multitasking personal computer OS _without_ multiuser features. However, that's not what I'm here to say. I just wanted to note that rumors of OS-9's demise ("..OS/9 had..") are greatly exaggerated ;-). There are close to 100,000 owners of OS9/6809 on the CoCo3, and of course we'll be seeing lots more OS-9/68000 users fairly soon now, as the new 68K machines are about to hit the streets. Not to mention that it's also the OS used in the coming onslaught of CD-I machines. Shared libraries? Every OSK (slang for "OS-9/68K") system comes with Math and CIO (does just what it sounds like) trap libraries. Loadable drivers and file managers have been around since OS-9 was written (1980). As for all the tired arguments I've seen here about resource-tracking and parameter-checking "slowing" down a machine, well.... A) OSK's kernel is tiny, fast, totally asm code, and B) THERE IS NOTHING SLOWER THAN STOPPED, which is what you often get with slack OS's letting bogus params through ;-). OS-9 still has enormous advantages to the serious user and programmer: You can move OS-9 programs to a computer with MMU protection, and they'll work just fine. ALL OS-9 programs are "pure" code, in Amiga parlance. And you also have a heckuva lot more choice of machines to buy. Anyway, I'm not trying to flame. I believe you probably knew some of this, and that your intentions were good in mentioning OS-9. But please, write that "OS9 has" and "OS9 does" (present tense :-). Thanks! Give us a few more months of OS9 GUI development, and _then_ we'll be back to torch AmigaOS . regards - kevin