Xref: utzoo comp.unix.wizards:5919 comp.arch:3044
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!oddjob!mimsy!aplcen!osiris!mjr
From: mjr@osiris.UUCP (Marcus J. Ranum)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,comp.arch
Subject: Jerry Pournelle on UNIX (From BYTE)
Message-ID: <1495@osiris.UUCP>
Date: 31 Dec 87 22:01:06 GMT
Organization: Institute For Felinographical Studies
Lines: 33
Keywords: dig dis !

From Jan BYTE: (Jerry Pournelle)

	"I must say that as I watch the OS/2 story unfold, I do begin to
wonder: if UNIX is ever made stable enough to be put in ROM, so that you
don't need a guru to maintain the system, there's less and less reason why
it won't catch on. I think of little that OS/2 promises that you can't do
with UNIX; and now that American Management Systems has developed the
long-mythical user-friendly UNIX shell, who knows ?
	However, UNIX isn't going anywhere without a major backer. The
obvious major backer is AT&T, a company with deep pockets, brilliant
engineers and designers, and a monopolist's attitude toward marketing. 
Think how different the world would have been it, a few years ago, AT&T
had bought Apple Computer for its marketing savvy.
	At one meeting someone wryly observed that if AT&T would
copy-protect System V UNIX, within 6 months it would be so widespread that
nothing would be able to stop it.
	Actually, I suppose the most probably outcome is that a year after
OS/2 comes out, there will be as many OS/2 users as UNIX users, after
which both will continue in parallel and and without actually competing.
UNIX is growing slowly, and OS/2 charging ahead; but while that's the 
probable event, it's by no means inevitable. After all, the main objection
to UNIX was that it's too big and too slow - and that applies just as
strongly to OS/2."

	Now, see, all these weenies and office managers who read BYTE take
Jerry as gospel truth... I wish he'd go back to cheap sci-fi.

--mjr();
-- 
Once, there was NO fun... 
This was before MENU planning, FASHION statements or NAUTILUS equipment...
Then, in 1985..  FUN was completely encoded in this tiny MICROCHIP...  
It contains 14,768 vaguely amusing SIT-COM pilots!!