Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!cbmvax!bpa!burdvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!scgvaxd!stb!michael From: michael@stb.UUCP (Michael) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Amiga: Which replacment OS?/UN*X ?? Message-ID: <1576@stb.UUCP> Date: Sun, 7-Jun-87 14:20:28 EDT Article-I.D.: stb.1576 Posted: Sun Jun 7 14:20:28 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jun-87 04:19:38 EDT References: <600@gryphon.CTS.COM> <1705@vdsvax.steinmetz.UUCP> Reply-To: michael@stb.UUCP (Michael) Organization: STB BBS, La, Ca, USA, 90402 Lines: 98 In article <1705@vdsvax.steinmetz.UUCP> barnett@ge-crd.arpa (Bruce G Barnett) writes: >In article <600@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@pnet02.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: > The A2000 is a 16 bit machine that can support a 32 bit >CPU card. If I buy a home computer, I would like to have >a system that can be used for 5 - 10 years (sounds foolish - doesn't it :-). No. My model 1 is still useful. >I mean, I don't want to upgrade the chassis and motherboard every >other year. I want to buy a machine that is useful as is, then add >memory and disks in the years to come, when they drop in price. >I can only afford a major purchase in computing power ONCE. Then when will you add CPU boards? 68030's will be expen$ive. > >Look at the Mac II: > > The floppy disk controller can handle double density floppys. The amiga does it in software and blitter. More per floppy, too. > The CPU motherboard can support 128MBytes (with the right chips). Huh? 4Mbit chips? (still need 256 of them) If you mean addon cards, the amiga does too (if you get a 020) > The system can support Parallel Processors, with any CPU > becomming the master. So I can add a 68030 (or whatever) > board, and use the original CPU board as an I/O handler. > Or vice versa. I may be wrong, but isn't that how the CSA 020 board works? > >As for your opinion on Unix, I guess you are critical with the user >interface. The ADVANTAGE of UN*X is that you can change pieces of it >easily. It is also well understood. Really??? My complaints with un*x are safely locked in the kernel where I can't get at them. First, I'm speaking of a home system right now. Mostly floppy based, with a hard disk for the system. Un$x is an absolute PAIN to use floppies with. EVERY TIME you switch them, you have TWO commands to give. If you forget and switch, you may not even be able to switch back and then umount -- the system may have accessed the disk in between. Worse, they are root only--you have to su to use them. The file system is not safe. In particular, writes to the disk are buffered for an arbitrarily long time. I'd love to see the system changed to a write through disk cache, or else a small maximum delay (no more than 1 second). /etc/update just doesn't cut it -- the super block is not properly updated (at least not on the unix I'm using right now). Programs do not have sufficient control over serial ports. I have yet to see a terminal program for un*x that even matches, not beats but matches, the terminal programs for a trs-80 model 1. Programs cannot even guarantee sufficient response time. Although sys5 does have a terminal driver with all the features needed, each time you access it you have to switch from user to kernel space, which takes significant time. Want to write any extensions (such as network support over a serial port)? Good luck making it work, let alone making it transparent. Finally, the swapper has a very poor algorithm for it. A 512K un*x machine is limited by the swapper. A 512K Amiga is cramped, but usable. A 1Meg un*x machine still swaps. A 1Meg Amiga is bliss. (2 meg runs out of chip memory before it runs out of programs to run) The amiga's dos may be unplesent, but A. Auto recognition of changed floppies (slow, but sure) B. Safe (?) file system (replacable, too) C. Total control over parts of the system D. Guaranteed good response time, if you want it (set your priority high) E. Transparent extension of the dos. Now, thats just the kernel. If you want to talk about system programs, let me know. In general, one big complaint I have with un*x is its design philosophy. Its job is to regulate several competing, hostile programs, limiting each individual process, and double checking everything they want to do. I can do with less hand holding. I program in C :-) >learning a strange OS. No matter how Great and Wonderful it is, it >won't help my daytime job. My daytime job is a student. My night time job is a student. My summer job is an amiga hacker. (starts next week, oh glory day) >Bruce G. Barnett (barnett@ge-crd.ARPA) (barnett@steinmetz.UUCP) -- : Michael Gersten seismo!scgvaxd!stb!michael : The above is the result of being educated at a school that discriminates : against roosters.