Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari!otc!metro!ipso!stcns3!Unknown
From: Unknown@stcns3.stc.oz (The Phantom)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: Thoughts needed
Keywords: Compaq xenix microport multi-user multiport QNX Quantum
Message-ID: <415@stcns3.stc.oz>
Date: 18 May 88 05:36:23 GMT
References: <4144@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> <224@obie.UUCP> <1988May9.123840.19368@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: peter@stcns3.stc.oz (Peter Jeremy)
Organization: Alcatel-STC Australia, Alexandria, Australia
Lines: 48

{ This dosen't really belong in comp.unix.xenix, but we don't appear to get
comp.unix.microport or comp.periphs. }

In article <1988May9.123840.19368@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> romwa@gpu.utcs.UUCP
(Mark Dornfeld) writes:
>QNX is is billed as a real-time OS.  It is
>Unix-like, multiuser but can handle the kind of thing you
"Unix-like" should be taken very loosely.  It uses the same buzzwords but
they don't do quite the same thing.  Anyone used to a normal Unix(TM)
system will find it very irritating to use (command line expansions limited
to ~200 chrs, different file structure, no ".." or equivalent &tc &tc)
despite it looking similar.

The "multiuser" is also not particularly useful for development - the editor
is hard to use without the PC keyboard (although very good on the console).
The (excuse for a) debugger _does not_ multi-task - the entire system stops
for it, and the only way out is to execute the program being debugged.

Also, the system libraries leave a lot to be desired in terms of compatability
with Unix and documentation.

It does, however have a number of hooks that make it very suitable for
real-time applications.  You can alter the time-slicing for your process,
relinquish the CPU before the expiry of your time-slice, and the OS does
not fudge task priorities to give low priority processes time when you have
a CPU hog at a higher priority.

If you are writing a system from scratch it is probably ok (assuming you
can live with the debugger). _BUT_ you will have to expend a lot of
effort to move to or from Unix (I have just spent several months moving
an application from QNX to XENIX System V).

>          I do not have the reference handy,

QNX is published by
	Quantum Software Systems Ltd,
	Moodie Drive High Tech Park
	215 Stafford Rd, Unit 104
	Nepean, Ontario K2H 9C1  Canada.
It is available for PC/XT, PC/AT (real or protected mode).

I do not know if F77 (or any other dialect) is available for it.  The C
compiler seems reasonable.
-- 
Peter Jeremy  (VK2PJ)       ACS:  peter@stcns3.stc.OZ
Alcatel-STC Australia       ARPA: peter%stcns3.stc.OZ.AU@uunet.UU.NET
Gnd Floor, 41 Mandible St,  UUCP: {enea,hplabs,mcvax,uunet,ukc}!\
Alexandria  NSW  2015 AUSTRALIA    munnari!stcns3.stc.OZ.AU!peter