Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!bcm!uhnix2!uhnix1!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Why UNIX?
Message-ID: <1902@sugar.UUCP>
Date: 29 Apr 88 19:42:32 GMT
References: <908@sandino.quintus.UUCP>
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 35
Summary: You called it.

In article <908@sandino.quintus.UUCP>, pds@quintus.UUCP (Peter Schachte) writes:
> I don't want to start a flame war; I mean this question quite literally.
> Why would anyone want UNIX running on their Amiga?

	You called it. Firewalls and compatibility. And because any UNIX
	shell... even the Version 6 shell (anyone remember?) blows the
	CLI, or even any of the shells I've seen, out of the water.

> 1) Firewalls between
> processes, so a runaway or sick process doesn't bring down the whole

	I don't believe you can set up firewalls without knocking AmigaDOS'
	performance down to UNIX levels. Memory protection costs CPU
	cycles in the context switch, unless you have some bodacious
	MMU hardware.

> 2) standardization/portability, i.e., being able to easily
> port UNIX programs to the Amiga.

	And because UNIX comes with so many tools that just aren't available
	PD anywhere. There are crippled copies of VI, UUCP, YACC, etc...
	around. But there just isn't the quality software.

> It seems better to me for CA to add to AmigaDOS the parts of UNIX that
> we want and don't have, rather than to create an incompatible OS.

	If you do that you'll cripple AmigaDOS.

	Personally I'm gonna save up for an AT to run Microport and act as
	a fileserver for mi Amiga. I can't see anyone doing it right out
	there...
-- 
-- Peter da Silva      `-_-'      ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter
-- "Have you hugged your U wolf today?" ...!bellcore!tness1!sugar!peter
-- Disclaimer: These aren't mere opinions, these are *values*.