Path: utzoo!ncc!lyndon
From: lyndon@ncc.UUCP (Lyndon Nerenberg)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: news software speedup
Summary: Sad, but true...
Message-ID: <10165@ncc.UUCP>
Date: 28 Mar 88 00:14:01 GMT
References: <649@bms-at.UUCP> <10150@ncc.UUCP> <4246@hoptoad.uucp>
Organization: Nexus Computing Inc.
Lines: 28

In article <4246@hoptoad.uucp>, gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) writes:
> lyndon@ncc.UUCP (Lyndon Nerenberg) wrote:
> > There is some potential for trouble on System V implementations using
> > this method. Most USG systems are configured with a ulimit of 1 meg.
> 
> I think this is considered a bug by one and all.  (At least by me!)
> If we distribute a netnews release that requires that the
> bug be fixed, the *&^$%# vendors who ship systems with this bug will
> scramble to fix it.

I doubt that very much - if the vendors paid any attention to what we
say on the net there wouldn't be any bugs left :-)

I agree that ulimit is braindamaged. I *love* my new 3/280 :-)
However, I still try to write my code so it will work on these
braindead machines. After all, I spent four years working on one,
and I have to feel sorry for those people who (for whatever reason)
can't upgrade. Fortunately, many of the people who posted source
to the net tried to make their code portable (no flexnames, properly
ifdef'd job control stuff, etc) - to them I am forever grateful!

Does anyone have *ACCURATE* numbers showing the number of USG 5.x ( x < 5.3)
machines vs. BSD 4.x (x > 1).  I have a funny feeling that there are
a lot more of these low IQ boxes out there than anyone imagines. I
don't think it's fair to cut off 40% of the net just because AT&T
is out to lunch...

-- 
lyndon  {alberta,uunet}!ncc!lyndon  lyndon%ncc@uunet.uu.net