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From: mason@PESCADERO.STANFORD.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.os.v
Subject: Re: comp.os.v
Message-ID: <8810232014.AA16207@Pescadero>
Date: 23 Oct 88 20:14:39 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: inet
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 33

>     Comp.os.v is a newsgroup for discussions of the V operating system,
>developed by David Cheriton's group at Stanford.  It is not a widely used
>system, even at Stanford, and is not likely to be; it's really a vehicle
>for the development of new concepts in distributed processing.  It runs
>primarily on original Stanford-built Sun I systems, back-ended by VAXen.
>
>					John Nagle

Part of the above message is true, but part is not.  For the record, I work
in the Distributed Systems Group (headed by David Cheriton) and I can
faithfully attest that we no longer *support* the Sun-I, let alone use them
for new development.  As for being "back-ended by VAXen" that isn't correct.
We do have a VAX providing UNIX services, but most people within our group
prefer using V here because it is so much faster.

V currently runs on Sun-2's and Sun-3's, Microvaxen, DEC Fireflies, and our
own in-house multiprocessor (VMP).  It is in daily use by people outside our
group, as well as those within it.

As for not being "widely used" that is a choice that others make, not us.
V provides the full range of services expected from an operating system, and
also provides a true distributed computing base.  We can hardly be held to
blame if people wish to continue using inferior operating systems.

As for the original message "delete comp.os.v and set up comp.os.mach,"  the
fallacy here is there is some "conservation of groups."  Since none such
truly applies, the issues are separate.  Establish comp.os.mach if there is
demand, but don't trounce on our work.

Tony Mason
Distributed Systems Group
Stanford University
mason@pescadero.stanford.edu