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From: jww@sdcsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac software under A/UX
Message-ID: <3563@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU>
Date: Sat, 1-Aug-87 02:13:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.3563
Posted: Sat Aug  1 02:13:02 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Aug-87 11:10:45 EDT
References: <2599@hoptoad.uucp>
Organization: Palomar Software, Inc., Vista, CA
Lines: 70

I'm not an expert, nor an official representative of anyone.  I've read
a few manuals and thus know enough to be dangerous. :-)

In article <2599@hoptoad.uucp>, tim@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Maroney) writes:
> I had been proceeding under the false assumption that A/UX was constructed
> on top of the Mac OSments here have alluded vaguely to an "A/UX Toolbox"
> which wouold seem to be a re-implementation of the Mac OS on top of A/UX.

The A/UX Toolbox is that portion of the Macintosh Toolbox and OS available
under A/UX.  Some of it is in the good ol' ROM where it belongs.  A little
is emulated on top of A/UX via glue.  The former includes QuickDraw, the
latter the so-called 'high-level' File Manager calls.
> 
> (1) Will existing Macintosh application files run under A/UX, provided they
> adhere to the compatibility guidelines?

Not yet.  So far, the guidelines would exclude anything useful
(e.g., no printing).  I believe the goal is to make this true.

> (2) If not, will MPW C applications compile successfully under A/UX with
> only makefile changes provided they do no direct hardware accesses and
> otherwise conform to compatibility guidelines?

There are some minor differences between the compilers (even though both
are originally from Green Hills) but again, I believe the goal is yes.

> (3) Will the full Macintosh file system, down to obscure but important
> details like the blessed folder, and most emphatically including volume ids,
> directory ids, resource forks and finder information, be supported by A/UX?

I can't speak for the blasted folder :-), but the current emulation
includes volume id's (like HFS, there's one for each directory, but
the assignment is not permanent), no directory or other HFS calls
yet.  Finder information is stored in the resource fork, a file of
suffix .res.  The fact that System V truncates names to 14 characters
makes the latter somewhat impractical in practice.

> (4) [Not of as general concern] Will A/UX come complete with Appletalk and
> Internet protocols and applications?  If so, which ones, and what kind of

TCP/IP and NFS are standard, I believe, but Sun hasn't donated me a
machine to prove it and I can't afford to buy one on my own. :-)

> (5) Will Macintosh desk accessories and drivers still be supported?  Will
> they have to be recoded and/or recompiled even if they fit the compatibility
> guidelines?

I would not put my life's savings into da's for A/UX.  I would not even
put my in-law's savings into having Macintosh drivers run under UNIX.  Do you
know what you're asking?  Can VMS drivers run under UNIX?  Can MS-DOS?
If they could, at an obviously abysmal performance, would it
be worth it?

> (6) A/UX vs. multi-tasking.

I dunno.
> 
> (7) What happens to the System Heap on a multitasking, memory-managed "A/UX
> Toolbox" environment?  Will Mac applications be prevented from corrupting
> each others' data the way UNIX applications are?

Memory management on A/UX?  Can you say 'malloc'?  NewHandle
calls malloc.  There is no system heap, as far as I can tell.

As for memory management, I assume that's why it comes with a Motorola
MC 68851 PMMU:  protection and virtual memory.
-- 
	Joel West,  (c/o UCSD)
	Palomar Software, Inc., P.O. Box 2635, Vista, CA  92083
	{ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww 	jww@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu