Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!att!fang!tarpit!bilver!bill
From: bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: wanted: UNIX or clone
Message-ID: <1991May4.160000.18443@bilver.uucp>
Date: 4 May 91 16:00:00 GMT
References: <1991Apr28.155002.7791@unixland.uucp> <24@metran.UUCP> <832@tiamat.fsc.com>
Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL
Lines: 67

In article <832@tiamat.fsc.com> jim@tiamat.fsc.com ( IT Manager) writes:

>In article <24@metran.UUCP>, jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts) writes:

>> I think it's just a case of Wordperfect not realizing how similar ISC UNIX
>> and ESIX are.  I really doubt there would be any problem that could not be
>> easily worked around.
 
>Since upgrading to SCO Unix, we've used the Xenix copy of WP that we have
>under Unix with no problems.
 
>This is the reason we stuck with SCO Unix.  I came to the conclusion that if
>any Unix 386 vendor was going to insure backward compatibility with Xenix,
>it would be SCO.  This is born out by the fact that we still build and
>execute programs using Xenix 286 libraries that were originally bought for
>Altos Xenix 286 on our SCO Unix machines.

I have had NO problems running Xenix programs under Esix.

As a matter of fact, there is an xinstall package for install Xenix
packages on ESIX.   

Here is the tail of that file.

----------
echo "\n"
echo "XENIX System V/386 $pack PACKAGE INSTALLATION COMPLETED"
echo
echo 'Now return to the installation section of "Starting XENIX."\n'

exit 0

----------

And when executing the custom file, instead of the first three options
being OS, Dev Sys, and Text processing with item 4 being "Add a supported
product", the menu just comes up with  1. Add a supported product. 

The Unix V.3.2 is supposed to run Xenix binaries, and it does.

And binaries compiled under SCO's Xenix work find too.  The surprise is
when you do a files on a Xenix file.

files on a typical Unix file is

<filename>:	iAPX 386 executable

while file on a Xenix file in the same system gives this.

<filename>:	Microsoft a.out separate pure segmented word-swapped not-stripped 386 executable

Say THAT 3 times fast.


All of the current 385 Unix release should run the binaries with no
problems.  However SCO did do a lot of work to make sure that all those
familiar with Xenix would have no problems and retain a familiarity.

I have both SCO's Xenix and Esix's Unix and have no problems running Xenix
files on Unix.   And I have no problems moving tar files between the
machines, or mounting a Xenix file system floppy on the Unix machine.
I have not tried the reverse.


-- 
Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill
                      : bill@bilver.UUCP