Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!oliveb!felix!martin
From: martin@felix.UUCP (Martin McKendry)
Newsgroups: comp.os.misc
Subject: System V, Release 4
Message-ID: <64481@felix.UUCP>
Date: 17 Oct 88 18:03:10 GMT
Sender: daemon@felix.UUCP
Reply-To: martin@felix.UUCP (Martin McKendry)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 38


I attended the AT&T/Sun presentations on System V Release 4 in Los Angeles
a couple of weeks back.  Very interesting.  There are far more Sun features
in Release 4 than I would have anticipated.  (If sufficient interest is
expressed, I could repeat what they told me -- send mail).

This leads me to look for more information.  Release 4 doesn't look to
be the usual evolution -- more like a complete change.  As well as
changing the file formats (to BSD fast file system), they are changing
the process management, virtual memory system (allegedly a 'new'
implementation, but smelling strongly of Sun), the communications
& terminal handling, and so on.  The standard directory structure
is also changed (to be more Sun-like, I'm told).

Like many vendors, we add changes to standard releases.  In our case,
most changes are specific to image management.  So now I'm
wondering, how hard is it going to be to upgrade from Release 3 to
Release 4.  For example, are the kernel source files based on BSD,
Sun, AT&T, or what?  If I have a set of changes that I want to move
forward, how hard will they be to re-integrate?  Between now and
when Release 4 arrives (scheduled for 2/3Q '89), is there any way
we can prepare?

Is anyone knowledgable out there?  What kind of animal are we
dealing with here?  Is it truly a full integration of Sun, AT&T,
BSD, etc., or is that a 'political' claim?

Another question: is the C++ version of Unix underway at Sun
going to be Release 5?  What is the schedule there, and how hard
will it be to upgrade for that?

All data/gossip etc., appreciated.

Martin McKendry

--
Martin S. McKendry;    FileNet Corp;	{hplabs,trwrb}!felix!martin
Strictly my opinion; all of it