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From: kurt@fluke.UUCP (Kurt Guntheroth)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Who's Next?
Message-ID: <868@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Jan-84 12:04:36 EST
Article-I.D.: vax2.868
Posted: Mon Jan  9 12:04:36 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Jan-84 04:07:47 EST
References: <1521@rlgvax.UUCP>
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, Wash
Lines: 33

UNIX(TM AT&T) user-hostile?  

Well...maybe it is the version of UNIX you use that is user hostile.
Take XENIX(TM Microsoft).  It is (somewhat) more user-hostile than you might
expect because Microsoft had to cram about 30Mbyte of UNIX into 5Mbyte of
disk space so it would fit on small winchesters.  Sure the commands got some
useful options stripped out.  Sure error message strings became more terse.
Sure all the commands aren't there.  That's not UNIX, its XENIX.  I use 4.1
BSD UNIX and I just don't see that it is too terse.  Sure there are some
things about (any) UNIX that could be better.  I wish I could undelete a
UNIX file the way I can on TOPS-20, I like the TOPS-20 command completion
operators and help.  Every operating system has unique nice features.

If UNIX takes too much filespace on your system, it is not UNIX's fault.
Get another disk.  If UNIX runs too slow, it is not UNIX's fault.  Get a
faster CPU and be grateful you don't have to support the overhead of an IBM
operating system.  UNIX does require a minimum level of resources that is
greater than what CP/M(TM DRI) uses, but what do you expect.  You want to
plug an operating system with an 80K kernel into your Z80 and have it be
just as fast as your CP/M's 4K 'kernel'?  Gimme a break!

I think UNIX will be the next popular operating system.  The kernel (which
contains no error messages you should ever see) is sound and really quite
efficient.  The commands can be repaired and will be when the market demands
it.  UNIX is the kernel and the shell.  The commands are not 'really' even
part of UNIX.  We alrealy can almost afford the kind of computer that can
run UNIX.  In a year or two we will.  Get ready for UNIX.  You'll hate CP/M
when you have a real computer.
-- 
Kurt Guntheroth
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
{uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!kurt