Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!kithrup!sef
From: sef@kithrup.COM (Sean Eric Fagan)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: ACE (Was Re: Will NeXT survive?  Grow with the times?)
Message-ID: <1991May02.045111.29665@kithrup.COM>
Date: 2 May 91 04:51:11 GMT
References: <32459@usc> <1991May01.024228.9685@kithrup.COM> <7558@auspex.auspex.com>
Organization: Kithrup Enterprises, Ltd.
Lines: 36

In article <7558@auspex.auspex.com> guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris) writes:
>>There is an OS (although it's for the R3000 right now),
>Well, several OSes.
>There's Portable OS/2; does that run yet on any MIPS R-series-based
>machine?

The trade papers have stated that OS/2 NT (New Technology) has been ported
to the R3000, and, further, that Microsoft has bought at least one R4000
simulator.  I do now know for certain, however, and I don't know any of the
OS/2 people at uSoft to ask (as if they would tell me 8-)).

>I assume an ACE machine will be able to
>boot *either* OS/2 *or* UNIX with no hardware changes, just installing a
>different OS on the hard disk.  

Yes.  As far as my knowledge goes, the goal is to be able to boot either OS,
and I think they even want to be able to do so from the network.  (Diskless
OS/2, anyone? *shudder*)

>Whether the UNIX will be able to run
>OS/2 binaries, or whether the OS/2 will be able to run binaries, I don't
>know.

I don't think they will.  Yes, it would be nice, but I haven't seen any
indication that that is a goal.  Note, however, that most of my sources are
unix-people; given the two OS's in question, I would not be at all surprised
if uSoft put binary compatibility into their OS/2 for the machine.  In any
event, it *would* be nice if all three (ace OS, os/2, and sysVr4) all had at
least a workable subset of compatibility (a mini-ABI).  Given that all three
will be able to do dynamic linking, there's some hope for that, I think.

-- 
Sean Eric Fagan  | "I made the universe, but please don't blame me for it;
sef@kithrup.COM  |  I had a bellyache at the time."
-----------------+           -- The Turtle (Stephen King, _It_)
Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others.