Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!oliveb!pyramid!csg
From: csg@pyramid.pyramid.com (Carl S. Gutekunst)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Open Software Foundation
Keywords: FSF, AT&T, Sun, Hamilton group
Message-ID: <25234@pyramid.pyramid.com>
Date: 30 May 88 05:11:29 GMT
References: <5412@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <3166@pdn.UUCP> <754@fig.bbn.com> <310@csvaxa.UUCP> <54842@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: csg@pyramid.UUCP (Carl S. Gutekunst)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 15

It appears that the whole flap over ABI (including accusations that "it does
not solve anything") is entirely the result of wild speculation in the popular
press that ABI was supposed to be a totally universal binary standard. Those
of us who work with the vast variety of available CPUs knew this was a silly
concept, and concluded that Sun and AT&T were intending to force SPARC down
everyone's throats. Or, we concluded that it was all puffery, yet another
a.out format pesented by the marketing department. I know I thought that when
ABI was first announced.

A pity. What ABI *does* accomplish is important and useful (would you like to
see your Sun 3 binaries run on a Tandy 6000? ABI makes it possible), but it is
being mired down by people's unfulfilled expectations. Expecting platinum, the
people throw the gold down the sewer.... 

<csg>