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From: maiden@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (VLSI Layout Project)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Finder improvements
Message-ID: <3616@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU>
Date: Fri, 7-Aug-87 10:39:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.3616
Posted: Fri Aug  7 10:39:54 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Aug-87 02:06:28 EDT
References: <19906@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU: <4524@nsc.nsc.com> <2606@husc6.UUCP> <1116@van-bc.UUCP>
Reply-To: maiden@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (VLSI Layout Project)
Followup-To: E. Jung
Distribution: world
Organization: U.C. San Diego
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In article <4524@nsc.nsc.com> grenley@nsc.UUCP (George Grenley) writes:
>Please, Apple, use Unix as a guide on how NOT to do things.  Unix is the worst
>most offensive piece of trash ever to be foisted on the unsuspecting [non-
>programming] public.

I don't want to start a discussion on the merits/demerits of UNIX, but
there are a number of good reasons to use it:
	1. Many people in the academic community have reason to like
	   UNIX and want some compatability with it.
	2. It would be nice to have multi-tasking and batch processing
	   abilities.
	3. There are many utilities available, so rather than making
	   a new OS and having a dearth of support software (which is
	   more difficult to write on multitasking systems than on
	   uniprocessing systems), Apple can have disk backup, archive,
	   mail, etc. utilities already there.
	4. UNIX attracts 3rd party developers.  High powered software
	   (simulation and CAD systems) are available on UNIX systems.
	   It is relatively easy to port from a SUN UNIX to a A/UX
	   Macintosh II.  More developers will be sucked into the Mac
	   with little effort (read: RISK) and if sales pan out, will
	   make Mac-like versions using the A/UX toolbox.
	5. UNIX is flexible.  It is entirely possible to make a user
	   friendly UNIX shell (like the finder, for example).  
	   SUNTOOLS on SUN workstations isn't too difficult to use;
	   I'm sure somebody (e.g. APPLE) could come out with a far
	   nicer one for end-users (SUN's is for power-users who
	   like the flexibility of SUNTOOLS).

By making A/UX and the associated toolbox, Apple gets to do all of
the above.  Nobody *has* to use UNIX, but many people may want to.
Furthermore, there are alot of UNIX systems, and A/UX will allow
a fairly transparent migration of files from one to another and
a new level of networking (NFS?).

EKYJ.

-- 
 Edward K.Y. Jung
 The Deep Thought Group: Searching for a better way to think.
 UUCP: {seismo|decwrl}!sdcsvax!maiden
 ARPA: maiden@beowulf.ucsd.edu