Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!caen!uflorida!crane.cis.ufl.edu!leh From: leh@crane.cis.ufl.edu (Les Hill) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Subject: Re: Information on Amiga Technical Reference Seri Message-ID: <29189@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> Date: 14 Jun 91 19:59:47 GMT References: <3036@public.BTR.COM> Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU Reply-To: leh@crane.cis.ufl.edu (Les Hill) Organization: U of Florida. Computer Science Dept. Lines: 41 In article , vinsci@nic.funet.fi (Leonard Norrgard) writes: |> Add VMS from Digital to the list. Now the difference with their source |> code is that it is clean and readable. Something I've not yet heard |> about CBM's (cf. the code in the RKM's). CBM's source code is clean and readable. |> If you want the source to VMS, talk to Digital. The last time I |> checked the entire operating system was available on micro fiche |> (about 400 of them...). So what do you need it for? Doing to the right |> thing in systems programming! Of course, here another difference comes |> up, in that VMS is actually *documented*. Nice, very clean |> descriptions of each OS/library function, During my 2 year stint as a VMS systems programmer, I never HAD to read the fiche. As you say, VMS is very well documented. The only time anyone ever used the fiche was for one of two reasons: diving into the kernel to pull out obscure system information or personal enrichment (i.e. for fun.) |> successful). Reverse engineering is of course much simpler if you have |> source, but: HIDING THE SOURCE DOESN'T PROTECT YOUR OS FROM BEING |> CLONED. IT SURE DOES HURT YOUR APPLICATION DEVELOPERS. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is ridiculous. I am currently employed as a UNIX systems programmer, and again, my use of the source has been limited -- the only time I need to use it is when I am making modifications to the kernel (or other "system" programs.) When I write application code, I use the DOCUMENTED system calls, and work within the calls DOCUMENTED parameters. On the rare occasion when true system bugs are discovered, most are already patched by the vendor. It has been my experience that many, many people clamour for the "source", when they get it, few, if any, ever really use it -- in fact, it seems to be mostly a "bragging-rights" desire ("Yea, I READ the source!") by people with nothing else to brag about. Les -- Extraordinary crimes against the people and the state have to be avenged by agents extraordinary. Two such people are John Steed -- top professional, and his partner, Emma Peel -- talented amateur; otherwise known as "The Avengers." INTERNET: leh@ufl.edu UUCP: ...!gatech!uflorida!leh BITNET: vishnu@UFPINE