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From: sgt@alice.UucP (Steve Tell)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: Review of MyCLI.c (Author Mike Schwartz)
Message-ID: <4837@alice.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Jan-86 17:27:50 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.4837
Posted: Sat Jan 18 17:27:50 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jan-86 05:39:32 EST
References: <3006@vax4.fluke.UUCP>, <340@3comvax.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 38

Some information concerning your idea of multiple unix windows:


>From my work on MyCLI, I have a pretty good idea that the Amiga makes an
>incredible terminal for UNIX!!  I think it would be VERY TRIVIAL to create
>a version of unix that interfaced to the Amiga and allowed Multiple 
>signons in multiple windows on one Amiga.  In other words, the NEWCLI
>command can be added to UNIX, and it would open a window on the Amiga, 
>and would issue its prompts, etc. there.  I think the trivial change would
>be modifying the "output character" (lowest level) routine that is called
>by every unix program (via printf, puts, etc.) to output a window identifier
>prefix before each byte output (a number identifying which window the
>output goes to).  The Amiga can easily direct the character to the appropriate
>window...  
...
>mike schwartz @ 3Com Corp.

Your scheme would certianly work, but would require modifying all
of the unix programs you wanted to use.
Another solution is to write a unix program called a "multiplexor"
that communicates with various unix shells.  On 8th edition
research unix, the communication is done with a thing called a "pt;"
the shell thinks it's talking to a terminal, but it's really
talking to the multiplexer, which in turn talks to the amiga
through a packet protocol, with error checking if you like.
It's similar on BSD and system-V, having somthing to do
with "sockets" on BSD, and an "xt" on sys-V. (I haven't figured them
out yet)
The result would be very much like the Blit terminal.
Too bad AT&T didn't chose to use the amiga for that unix terminal
project-
They could have used a lot of the original Blit code and done just what
I said above.
It could be done on the ST, but as Mike Schwartz pointed out,
Probably not under the St's operating system, whereas
on the amiga it can be.