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From: mckeeman@wivax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Unix unter alles
Message-ID: <19210@wivax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Feb-84 10:38:22 EST
Article-I.D.: wivax.19210
Posted: Tue Feb 14 10:38:22 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Mar-84 14:52:05 EST
Sender: mckeeman@wivax.UUCP
Organization: Wang Institute, Tyngsboro, Ma.  01879
Lines: 23

I think the discussion is off the point.  Unix is the
"machine language" of operating systems.  Nobody sane would
claim humaneness for the interface.  That humans can learn
to use it efficiently is a compliment to the Maker, not
BTL.  But there also does not seem to be much complaint
about the things Unix allows internally; it is enough
functionality to get a lot done.  So, however much of that
functionality can be stuffed into system X is about what
you will get.

More importantly, what kinds of nice interfaces are going
to be put between the user and Unix?  Like, after ls it
would be nice to curse to an interesting file name and hit
RETURN, and have it run if it was a program, and be in the
editor editing it if it is a text file, and so on.  The
book-size TRS-80 model 100 can do this!  There are just a
lot of things that can be done on top of the sound basis of
unix.  The Wang PC MSDOS interface is a good example.
There is a menu-driven menu maker into which it is very
convenient to put your favorite arcane functions.
%mumble -fo *.ugly\grumble
needs only be figured out and typed once.  Thereafter it is
mercifully hidden from view, even of its inventor.